Learning New Ways of Being

I think so much of the issues we have in Pagan, Heathen, and related communities, and in, between and through our polytheist and animist circles writ large with notions of decolonizing and deconstructing the religious upbringing most of us come out of is that is just not how we learn. Some examples from this blog post from South University:

“In psychology, experts agree that learning is essentially a long-lasting change in behavior or knowledge. Learning occurs as a result of experience, but it isn’t constrained to sitting in a classroom. It can happen anywhere, anytime! When you try something new, solve a problem, or even watch a YouTube tutorial, you’re learning.

Learning is closely tied to memory. Without memory, you wouldn’t be able to hold on to what you’ve learned. Memory works in three stages: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Encoding is when you first encounter information. Your brain processes what you see, hear, or experience and turns it into something that can be stored. Once encoded, the information needs to be saved somewhere for later use. Your brain stores this information in short-term or long-term memory. Finally, when you need that information again, you retrieve it from your memory banks.”

While of course learning is far more complex than a mere blog post entry, and Gods know there have been reams of scientific exploration of how we learn, in what environments, and in what fashions, this is something I think is key to our communities going forward. If you are embracing, that is, if you are learning about and becoming a polytheist, animist, Pagan, Heathen, etc. then that needs to involve new ways of living in the world. Using the terms unlearn, deconstruct, and decolonize are default for a lot of us in the community, but I see more and more as deconstruct and decolonize become commonly used that they are not effectively communicating what it is they are meant to do for our communities. What they are trying to communicate are part of the process of coming fully into a polytheist and/or animist mindset. You do actually have to leave behind the overculture’s Protestant mindset. However, as words and concepts, they tend to be used rather poorly to communicate the process of doing that.

Part of the problem with the language of deconstructionism and decolonialism as it exists in much of the discourse I am seeing online is that it is about taking apart, but not very much about what we build in its place. Learning is about encoding, storage, and retrieval. You need to encounter, store, and then recall new information that, over time, replaces the old with new behaviors, ideas, and ways of being. It is not enough to take apart a concept intellectually, you actually need to replace the idea with something new or you are just going to repeat those ideas in a new way. Instead of deconstructing a Christian idea it will just be that same idea with a new coat of paint. This is part of the same problem with antiracism work with white folks: it is not enough to be against racism, you actually need to be inclusive, and to be inclusive you have to learn new ways of being.

For white-bodied Heathens, the idea of deconstructing or abolishing whiteness means embracing identities other than white. You first have to fully learn that whiteness is a social construct, and then you have to learn a new identity instead of whiteness. The problem is that the parts of the world that benefit from and uphold whiteness are not going to learn with you. So, as you learn about and embrace a new understanding of yourself, you are going to have to learn how to navigate the world understanding that the notion of the skin you are in being white is a construct, that you are learning a new way of being, that the world largely will not see you in this way, and to embrace this anyhow. How the hell do you do this?

Some folks opt to identifying primarily through their cultural lenses prior to assimilation to the overculture. In my case I have a lot of options, being a European mutt: English, Dutch, French, Danish, Norwegian, and others. It does not make me English, Dutch, French, Danish, Norwegian, or otherwise, rather, I am learning to be a European-American, and not a white person. At first blush this may seem like a distinction without a meaning, until you remember that the Dutch and Germans a generation or two ago were not fully assimilated. It was only relatively recently in our history that Italians, Germans, Irish, and other non-English ethnicities were considered ‘white’. Whiteness and embracing new ways of relationality is beyond the full scope of this post, but suffice to say, the work of giving up whiteness is a long-term one, and as with embracing polytheist and animist ideas of being, requires a lot of learning to do. Again, it is not enough to deconstruct whiteness, because something else must take its place or all we are doing is repeating whiteness with a new coat of paint.

Embracing New Ways of Knowing

In order to deconstruct and decolonize, and then to build new identities, Heathens will need to embrace new ways of being, or whatever we are deconstructing and decolonizing will be brought into our Heathenry. If you are looking to let go of Protestant Christianity, then learning how to be polytheist and then being a practicing polytheist. You also cannot give your Protestant Christian upbringing an out, or it will try to bring its ideas into Heathenry. One I have seen some folks in Paganism, especially those derived from Wicca, is to try to do this is through the idea that all Gods are one God.

The idea that all Gods are one God is a viewpoint that many will rightly point out is an idea found within Hindu religions, but that notion is couched in specific cultural and religious views that have nothing to do with Protestantism. If you are going to embrace such a viewpoint you not only need to wrap your head around the understanding that all Gods are one, but that the Many are One, the One are Many, and each of those is distinct within that multiplicity. You also need to understand and embrace Brahmanism, which is a wholly different culture set of ideas, understandings, and philosophical underpinnings to the understanding of the cosmos.

If you are going to be a Heathen, you need to learn, embrace, and practice the understanding of polytheism and animism that underpins it: that there are many Gods and vættir. Part of being a polytheist is respect of and worship of more than one of these Beings. Learning intellectually about something is not enough -you must actually embrace and practice the understanding of being a Heathen. It must becoming a knowing through lived experience. It is one thing to learn that the river that flows near your home is a vættr. It is a whole other thing to have a living relationship where you are making offerings to Them, communicating with Them, and learning, then understanding, and then treating and then, finally knowing that the river is a person. Once you know this river is a person, then there is no question: in this knowing you know you must treat Them well. To learn how They best want to be treated you need to be in communication with Them. You must be in a good, reciprocal relationship with Them.

Errors, Setbacks, and Paths Forward

Errors and Setbacks

The problem a lot of especially white Heathen folks are tripping over is that a lot of language around deconstruction and decolonization has stopped at the de- part and the work is, at best, half-finished or just repeating the construction or colonization in another format with a new coat of paint.

In order to be Heathen you have to learn, then practice, then embrace, and then know a whole new way of relating and relationship with and to the Worlds, each other, and our place in the cosmos.

Deconstruction without that needed construction just means repeating white Protestant ways of being with a new coat of paint. Likewise with regards to deconstruction and decolonization of whiteness. If you do not build something new you are just going to repeat the same issues maybe in a different way. In embracing being a Heathen, what are you doing to celebrate and enjoy your polytheism and its outlook? If you are categorized as white by the overculture, instead of whiteness, what identities are you engaging with or building up? In embracing the understanding of and knowing of being a Heathen, how are you bringing it into your everyday life?

Another rough part folks are going to need to get through is that treating this only one way emotionally is unsustainable. It cannot just be this joyless process or there is nothing to reach towards! It cannot just be about self-punishment or it is just treating yourself in a carceral way and repeating those errors in being in a different pathway. This too, to me, is part of white Heathen folks taking accountability. We are responsible to and for creating our own joy as we work to heal, and to be better than what we were given, taught, and inculcated to.

Paths Forward

To be inclusive white Heathens are going to have to work to make new pathways out of the Christian overculture and whiteness. Oh, I can hear the pained cries of the white supremacists that I want folks to give up their whiteness. Yes. I want white folks to give up their precious white safety blankie and embrace a more full, rich identity. Instead of identifying with oppressors and oppression, instead of identifying with murderers and thieves and liars, to identify with the best of what their Ancestors had to offer, and make new pathways forward. I am demanding Heathens reject the hierarchy of being inherent in ideas and enculturation of whiteness and to fully embrace the respect for polycentricity within Heathenry.

By embracing new pathways to being white Heathens allow ourselves to become more than merely white and enculturated in the Protestant overculture. To embrace new pathways we need to learn them, to live them, to show them to others, and then enculturate new ways forward. What might we call ourselves in these ways?

Identity and Identification

For me: I am Sarenth Óðinsson, a member of Mímisbrunnr Kindred, a Michigan Heathen. If you want something more complex, perhaps something like Sarenth Óðinsson of Mímisbrunnr Kindred, a Michigan Norse/Icelandic-based Heathen. Identifying with my personal name, identifying with my Kindred, where I live, and the primary culture lens through which I revive, reconstruct, and live my Heathenry. You want to break it down further? Sarenth Óðinsson of Mímisbrunnr Kindred Michigan, Norse/Icelandic-based Heathen, European-American. Identifying with where I live, my Heathenry, and my Ancestry prior to living in the USA while note obfuscating that I am living in the United States.

I am identifying first with my personal name, my family name, my Kindred, then where I live -where I have always lived. Why is my Kindred first among the groups? It is part of the priorities I have talked about elsewhere: Ginnreginn, faI am a member of Mímisbrunnr Kindred. They are who I belong with. Together with my immediate family and sworn allies, they are part of my folks, my tribe. The land is next because the land is where I belong, Who I belong to, and the culture of Michigan is bound up in who I am as a Heathen.

This may not the only, or even the best way forward for a given person, Kindred, clean, tribe, or community. It is a way forward that others can adopt or put aside as they find appropriate. Each of us seeking to live better without whiteness are going to need to embrace identity in our own ways.

Language

For me, part of the paths forward is in language. It is part of why I work with Old Norse to describe the things I do. Sure, I could just say ‘magic with spirits’ but it misses the fullness of what I mean when I say seiðr because ‘magic with spirits’ is reductive, and just a part of it. When I use words like ljóð I am using it to mean chanting and magic done while chanting. I am not ‘doing a mantra’, I am engaging in ljóð. I also will freely create neologisms if a given concept does not quite come across the way I would like. Rather than being a thing frozen in time, I am working with language to engage with the world in a different way than my standard English.

Being

Being is where we get into the daily, lived experiences of being Heathen. It is where we apply what we learned about where we want our new paths as Heathens to go. Being is where we live in relationship with the Ginnreginn through the ways we have learned about. It is where we lay down offerings and make changes in our lives to align with the values we embrace. It is where we prioritize and schedule our life so that we make room for the sacred ways we live.

Being a Heathen is embracing and then being in community. Heathenry, as with any other religious and cultural label, is a communal identity. Whether you are part an organization, whether you are in a Kindred or other community, or choosing to remain solitary, Heathenry is a communal identity. Your expression of that identity will be unique to you, just as it is for anyone who is Heathen.

Being a Heathen is what my work here is about, in a variety of ways. Heathenry is the living of the ethic of hospitality and reciprocity with the Ginnreginn, ourselves included, as each human is a vættr. Rather than extensively go on about the “how” of Being, then, I ask you to think about how you are embracing Heathenry, or whatever your religious and cultural beliefs are, and then expressing them in the world. I ask about what it means to ‘be’ Heathen every day, when it is inconvenient, challenging, or boring. I ask what it means ‘to be’ Heathen if the Ginnreginn are utterly quiet with you or cacophonous. I ask what Being means because that is what informs our next steps as Heathens, and when it is our time to die, the legacy we leave behind.

Models matter, and when we make mistakes with them the problems they produce are profound. My personal experiences with folks who espouse the psychological model is that a lot of understanding of it is rooted in the writings of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and that the understanding folks are working with here is not from those two sources directly, but filtered through a more pop-science understanding of their material. The problem here is that there is a lack of understanding the nuance of each, what each was driving at, and those problems extend into the verbiage used, eg the Id, Ego, and Superego of Freud, and the archetypes (especially Shadow nowadays) of Jung.

Quoting Frater U.’.D.’.: “The psychological model of magic does not purport to explain how magic works, its only premise is that the subconscious (or, as Carl Jung later retagged it, the unconscious) will do the job if it is properly addressed and/or conditioned. This again is achieved by magical trance, suggestion and the use of symbols (i.e. selective sensory input) as tools of association and as a means of communication between the magician's conscious will and his subconscious faculty responsible for putting it into effect.”

Quoting Raven’s Crucible: “The Psychological Model posits that magic operates through the action of the placebo effect.”

I think what bothers me most about the psychological model is at the beginning of Frater U.’.D.’.’s quote: “The psychological model of magic does not purport to explain how magic works”. The psychology model of magic as it is popularly understood just explains the phenomena of magic as belonging to the subconscious, and that acts of magic act on, towards, or for the mind. It relies on the field of psychology to fill in the gaps that the psychological model for magic itself lacks. The psychological model, then, is a model with a good chunk of the parts missing for what a model often does: explain a given phenomena. To make things even more difficult, the model then relies on those applying the model to have a cogent, and informed understanding of both psychology and magic.

Misuse and Misunderstanding

The misuse of psychology and its terms as a result of this lack of cogent and informed understanding of both psychology and magic is part of why I have such an issue with the ‘psychological’ model of magic. The quotes around psychological are not just there for show.

With the way it is often popularly put, the psychological model is not actually about psychology, but solipsism or strict materialism. Either the point is made that magic only exists as an expression of and in relation to one’s mind, and that it is the only thing that is real, aka solipsism, or the point is made that magic is a product only of the mind, and this, in turn, is generated by the brain aka materialism.

Then there is the misuse of psychology terms which makes my teeth itch. The one that is getting passed around right now, ‘religious psychosis’, is just one of many, but it is so popular to use regardless of the circles it is used in, that like a lot of psychology terms, it is beginning to lose meaning. For starters, there is no such thing as religious psychosis. There is psychosis with religious features. There is psychosis with a basis in religion, whether through trauma or expression of particular symptoms. However, there is no such thing as ‘religious psychosis’. It is a pop-science term that strips meaning from its purpose, and which, like a lot of pop-science terms, is then used as a cudgel.

Folks can have religious experiences we disagree on without folks resorting to using terms like religious psychosis. We can doubt the veracity, believability, and content of a person’s experience in terms of material or metaphysical reality without being ableist, discounting their sanity, doubting their experiences and/or understanding, or denigrating their humanity. Using scientific language in this way muddies both scientific and religious understanding, while also obfuscating how folks are disagreeing or taking issue with a given perspective or experience, all the while terminating conversation in what is fast becoming a thought-terminating cliche.

What Starts in the Model Extends to the Territory

What problems extend into the language used then extend into the model deployed, what it does and does not tell us, and its ability to help us understand what we are doing, how, and why. From here, these issues with the model extend into the territory of lived experience. To be clear, the psychological model can be a useful way to model one’s understanding magic. I am saying that the psychological model of magic is not useful at modeling a lot of things, and among them is a theoretical understanding of the place, use, and deployment of magic and spiritual phenomena generally.

By placing things into a psychological context, and a generally flawed understanding of psychology at that, limits the usefulness and applicability of the model and what it says to us about what we are doing, feedback from the magic we engage in, and wider implications. When those who espouse it engage in solipsism or strict materialism it also limits the applicability of the psychological model to certain this-world conditions, the limits of those philosophical models, and then limiting the wider context magic exists in outside of the strictly psychological model. Sometimes that is utterly appropriate. If I want a magical act to help increase my willingness to do work around the house, then understanding what it is acting on from a psychological model of magic may be useful.

The problems with such a model are many. As an explanatory model it does not have a theoretical framework on its own with what magic is, how it acts, and what it is doing when we engage with it. It can tell us what our psyche does as a result of engaging in magic, but not what magic itself is beyond something that is potentially generated from and acts on our subconscious or the collective unconscious. As a model of useful magic it lacks the most needed aspects of troubleshooting: the framework for success, failure, and determination of what happened. It cannot tell us why a given magical act succeeds or fails excepting in that it does/does not produce the effect looked for. The problem with relying on folks’ understanding of psychology to inform what information the psychology model of magic has to say is that it relies on them understanding psychology as a science, the terms employed on its own terms, and how these in turn relate to us and what magic we engage with.

Shared Issues Between Models

This problem of understanding that I am talking about with the psychological model of magic also exists in the spirit model. If you do not understand the spirit model you're working with, you are going to misunderstand all the rest of what that model is supposed to be telling you. The psychological model is quite open to misinformation, disinformation, and misunderstanding through its association with the selfsame scientific field. A lot of the understandings of psychology at the moment are filtered through a popular culture lens, and that pushes and pulls on the psychological model of magic.

The spirit model is open to a range of issues like this. This is especially true for those who have taken up a spirit model of magic without unpacking the Protestantism that exists as a background, even for atheists, Catholics, and those raised in various polytheist and animist homes. Without readily being willing to confront this head-on in one’s own worldview and modeling that follow, the spirit model of magic can very easily take on shades, if not wholesale assumptions from the overculture.

One way that this manifests (ha!) at the moment is through Prosperity Gospel type New Age influences that infect folks’ understanding of magic. The notion that those who are powerful and skilled in magic are automatically blessed with wealth and resources. This notion is tied back to the Calvinist idea that those who are wealthy are blessed by God. If you bring this into your model of magic, then there is an awful lot of victim-blaming and gaslighting that gets included, eg you did not manifest hard/well enough and therefore you deserve poverty, blaming the individual when the system we live in overwhelming those already wealthy and powerful. This has the potential to eat a person’s willingness to engage in magic at all. It also says some truly terrible things if you were to take this on and succeed in a magical endeavor: you did the work and got the results, therefore your magic is superior. Without a clear model unfettered by such gunk you may mistake effective magic for a privileged upbringing or a lack of obstacles in attaining your objective as proof that your magic worked as intended. Assessments and discernment become clouded and compromised as a result.

The lack of a theoretical framework for what magic is, how it works, and what it does within the model of psychology is part of why I do not recommend it. Without the ability to actually look at the reasons for success, failure, and how magic is employed within a theoretical framework, it makes the entire point of modeling moot. Now, it is entirely possible that I have yet to run into a person who works with the psychological model of magic and has cogent explanations for these things within a psychological model of magic framework. What I have seen up to this point, however, is that often folks will blend the psychological model of magic with others. As I understand it, this works, but for me the spirit model itself does not negate the psychological effects of magic that the model itself puts forward. I take it as a matter of course that magic affects multiple levels at once, our mental state being among them.

My questions flow from here: why are you appending a model like the spirit model of magic with the psychological model? What is it that the psychological model of magic brings to the table that the spirit model lacks? What is it that the psychological model of magic can tell us, but the spirit model cannot effectively explain? How is the spirit model of magic enhanced or improved by the inclusion of the psychological model?

Some folks that I've run into seem to think that the spirit model of magic lacks the coherence and predictability of a more scientifically minded model. I think that has more to do with individual practitioners than the model. Part of the reason I do not use the psychological model for my magic is because I have a Bachelors of Science in psychology. I work in the field of psychology. While I am not applying the idea of non-overlapping magisteria, I also am very aware that the psychology model of magic has limits. I want the explanations and coherent worldview that the spirit model of magic has to offer, and for my purposes, it makes more sense to go the spirit model.

Frameworks Further Construct Understanding

When made well, understood well, and used to further our explorations, frameworks further construct understanding. It provides us foundation to build from and means to test our building of knowledge, discernment, and experience. I find the spirit model of magic more satisfying and useful in this regard because it has answers for ‘what’ and ‘how’ magic works beyond a relatively narrow band of human experience. Magic exists in part as a result of the existence and interconnectedness with spirits. Given we are among those spirits, we share in the existence and use of magic.

The basic understanding of polytheism and animism is that we are in relationships with Others. How we understand how these theological frameworks unfold is up to our the particular philosophical basis we may engage with, such as Platonism, Stoicism, or a more modern gestalt. A particular theological framework also affects how our understanding unfolds, such as a Kemetic, Heathen, or more general polytheist or animist framework as your baseline. From here, particular cultural frameworks fill out information as we engage with them. This difference can be seen between Heathens who are informed by, and may identify themselves through, distinct ancient culture groups such as Anglo-Saxon, Icelandic, and Norwegian.

With this basic framework we can then construct different understandings of how this model is expressed within a given worldview. In Heathenry, the weaving/carving of Urðr/Wyrd on a fundamental level is the push/pull/integrated existence of all things that allows for magic to exist, have its effects, and to inform how we understand the way our magic affects ourselves and others. We have souls like the Líkr (physical body) Önd (breath, akin to chi/prana), and Hamr (second skin, akin to the etheric or astral body in occult teachings) through which those actions are given existence and affect others, and from there those effects are felt, expressed, and acted upon in kind.

From the basic knowing that magic is centered in or comes from the interaction between spirits and from there acts, we are able to see how magic works. From here we can understand who and what it affects, and why a given act may produce a given result. When it comes to evaluating a spell, enchantment, or other act of magic, that ability to ask and answer “Why?” is paramount to discernment, evaluation, troubleshooting, and corroborating experiences. We can then understand why a given act of magic with many of the same features may be more useful in a given situation than another, eg why Rune galdr may be more effective at delivering results in a given working vs marking something with a Rune.

Models of magic are part of the basis of the expression our religions give form to, understand, and know power. By understanding and having a living knowing through how we relate to power, mold ourselves with it, and give expression to it, we better understand ourselves, our communities, and the effects we have on the Worlds around us. By understanding and living well through a well-constructed and well-understood model, we allow for both the basics of a well-lived life for the average exoteric Heathen, and for the work of Heathen vættirverkar (spiritsworkers) to be couched in terms and knowledge the community can understand, use, work with, and live with.

From the Cambridge Dictionary we have the following definitions for esoteric:

“Very unusual and understood or liked by only a small number of people, especially those with special knowledge” and “intended for or understood by only a few people who have special knowledge”.

Exoteric's definition from the Cambridge Dictionary:

“Intended or suitable for people generally, not only for some people”.

In other words, exoteric religion is accessible and for everyone, while esoteric is for only those with specialized knowledge or interest. Exoteric religion in Heathenry is the everyday stuff everyone does, from the youngest to the oldest, like engaging in hearth cultus, making offerings, or making prayers. Exoteric religion is foundation to being a Heathen. It is the living of the ethics, like hospitality, that everyone is expected to do. In other words, it is mainstream Heathenry.

Esoteric religious expression in Heathenry are things like engaging in magic of various kinds (whether seiðr, Runes, making taufr, etc.), engaging in communication with the Ginnreginn through divination, or working to encounter Ginnreginn through techniques like útiseta (sitting out). Esoteric religious expression in Heathenry can take a lot of forms, but what unites them in common is that none of them are necessary to being a Heathen. Esoteric religion can have massive impacts on how we engage in exoteric Heathenry, eg the results of divination can drastically change your life, but you also do not have to be the one to do it. You can live a perfectly happy life as a Heathen and never draw a Rune or drop a card in divination, and either let someone else do that for you, or simply never bother with divination in the first place.

Exoteric religion is the foundation for esoteric religion and experiences. Without exoteric religion, the esoteric religion has nothing to build on, hold on to, or grow from. Without exoteric religion the esoteric religion is unmoored from a solid worldview in which anything makes sense. While everyone can have their own entrypoint into Heathenry and Heathen magic from wherever they come in, without the underpinning of where magic comes from and what it means with an established cosmos and standard ways to interact with it, it is unfocused and without form.

Esoteric religious practices, such as engaging in forms of magic like seiðr or Runework, have no basis without the exoteric religious practices that underpin them. Without the specifically Heathen worldview and character those esoteric religious practices are founded on and embodied through in Heathen exoteric belief and practice, there is no Heathen esoteric religion. Exoteric religion and religious expression is made from the basic forms of polytheism and animism that is the basis of all Heathenry. This is why I say so very often that orthodoxy and orthopraxy are two sides of the same coin, as orthodoxy informs orthopraxy. Orthopraxy fulfills the orthodoxy, because without the orthopraxy there would be no point to why right thinking would matter. Praxis, the specific forms of hospitality, ritual, and other forms of religious expression comes about as a result of a given Heathen community or individual Heathen’s community, training, and/or personal relationships with their Ginnreginn. Without these expressions of exoteric praxis that undergirds the whole thing, there can be no esoteric practice.

Without the foundation of the exoteric, the esoteric has nothing to rise from, and no meaning can really be usefully gleaned when there is interaction with the Ginnreginn or cosmos at large when esoteric practices are engaged with. Without the foundation of the exoteric the esoteric has nothing to usefully compared, contrast, and discern itself with. Remember, the exoteric are all the things accessible to everyone without specialized training. These would be knowledge of the Ginnreginn, such as the myths and sagas, as well as modern teachings on these subjects through teachers, institutional and individual. The exoteric practices would be those accessible to everyone, including prayers, offerings, right relationship, and the marking of time and holidays.

The esoteric paths in Heathenry build from the exoteric foundations available to everyone. Rune magic does not exist without Óðinn and the other Ginnreginn that have received the Runes, without the narratives that explain what the Runes are and do, and without the history of Rune magic we can still see in the written, archaeological, and modern resources left to us. There is no seiðr without Freyja, and the many sagas that form the understanding we have of seiðr in all its forms, written and archaeological, and modern expressions of it. Esoteric religion and religious expression is in ongoing dialogue with the exoteric religion and religious expression underpinning Heathenry, the Ginnreginn in whom those relationships are based, those who practice it. From these dialogues the trainings, initiations, and lessons given to esoteric practitioners, and modern practitioners of these esoteric practices themselves are given shape, form, and create their own dialogue with one another. From this grounding in exoteric Heathen religion, esoteric practitioners and what they bring into community can make dialogue, and then lasting, useful impact on exoteric Heathenry.

What are the Dvergar Like?

They tend to be described in the lore as foul-natured or grumpy, dark of hair and sometimes complexion or corpse-blue in others. In the myths They are often set against various Gods as foils or as trials to be overcome, such as Loki and the Sons of Ivaldi who craft many of the Gods’ tools as noted above, or Þórr and Alvíss (All-Wise) who seeks Þruðr’s (Þórr’s daughter) hand in marriage.

They are described in two different ways in the Poetic and Prose Eddas. In the Prose Edda, the Dvergar are born from the flesh of the first Frost-Thurs, Ýmir, as maggots and given Their shape by the Gods, though there is reference to this as well in the Völuspá, verse 9-10.

“9. Then sought the gods | their assembly-seats,
The holy ones, | and council held,
To find who should raise | the race of dwarfs
Out of Brimir’s blood | and the legs of Blain.

10. There was Motsognir | the mightiest made
Of all the dwarfs, | and Durin next;
Many a likeness | of men they made,
The dwarfs in the earth, | as Durin said.”

According to Laxouteaux in his book Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore:

“Contrary to the preconceived notions passed on by folklore, dwarves are not necessarily little: they can assume any size at will. “Dwarf ” is a generic term like “god” or “giant” and designates a race of malevolent beings, the opposite of elves. Etymologically speaking, their name means “twisted” both in body and mind. According to the Poetic Edda, two dwarves, Móðsognir and Durinn, existed in the beginning, and they created a race in their image. When the gods created the world, they placed four dwarves at each of the four cardinal points to hold up the sky. According to Snorri Sturluson, dwarves were born from the decomposition of the giant Ymir’s corpse, then the gods gave these larvae a human face and intelligence.”

Our Troth Vol 2 gives good insight into meaning of the word dwarf itself and the provenance of the Dvergar: “The word “dwarf” (ON dvergr, OE dweorg, dweorh, OHG twerc) has been proposed to come from roots meaning “ghost” or “demon” (compare Sanskrit dhváras, “demon”), but it may more probably come from a Germanic root meaning “to squeeze, to press” (Kroonen, Etymological Dictionary, p. 112). Snorri states that the dwarves were made from the maggots in Ymir’s corpse (Gylfaginning 14). Vǫluspá 9-10 gives a different origin: the first two dwarves, Móðsognir and Durinn, were shaped by the gods from Brimir’s blood and Bláinn’s bones. Brimir and Bláinn are not mentioned anywhere else, but this mode of creation resembles the shaping of the rocks and sea from Ymir’s bones and blood. These primal dwarves then shaped mannlíkun mǫrg, “many human bodies,” from the earth— which probably means that they shaped the rest of the dwarves (Mayburd, “Between a Rock and a Soft Place,” p. 192 n11).”

I tend to understand things as between the two stories. That is, the Dvergar were born from maggots, starting with Móðsognir and Durinn, who, like Askr and Embla of the later emerging humans, began their own group of vaettir by Their coupling. I understand Dvergar as separate from other named groups of vættir, including that of Dökkálfar and Svartálfar even though the connections between Them in the lore are almost synonymous. This is largely based on my personal spiritual experiences with these vættir.

Known Dvergar

Andvari “(“Breath-keeper”)

“This dwarf swims in the form of a pike in the pool by a waterfall when he is captured by Loki, who demands that the dwarf give him all the treasure he is guarding. Andvari complies with Loki’s demand but keeps one ring. Loki sees it and steals it. The dwarf then curses the treasure so that it will cause the death of all who own it. This treasure eventually finds its way into the hands of Sigurðr/Siegfried.” Pg 29, Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic by Claude Lecouteux

Sindri “(“Smith”?)

“A dwarf, son of Ívaldi and brother of Brokkr. He is the one who forges the treasures of the gods.” Pg 252, Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic by Claude Lecouteux

Brokkr “(“Smith”)

“A dwarf who was brother and companion to Sindri. These two dwarves forged the treasures of the gods: Draupnir, the ring of Baldr; Gullinborsti, Freyr’s boar; and Mjöllnir, Thor’s hammer.” Pg 50, Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic by Claude Lecouteux

Other Named Dvergar in the Lore

Our Troth is a great resource and a huge kudos to Ben Waggoner for doing amazing work on it. I often use it as a resource in my work with good reason even if my experiences and understanding differ from him! His outline of and listing of the names is below. As he notes in this section, scholars disagree on meaning, yet the names themselves may reveal something of the Dvergar Themselves. From my perspective it can also be illustrative of how humans related to Them.

“Lóni (“Lazy”), Lofarr (“Bent Over”) Dulinn (“Weak”)…Dvalinn (“Deluder”), Alþjófr (“All-Thief”), Hléðjófr (“Mound-Thief”)…Næfr (“Capable”), Nýráðr (“Ingenious”), Fili (“File”) Kili (“Wedge”), Veggr (also “Wedge”), Skirvir (“Paneling Maker”), Virvir (“Dyer”), and Hornbori (“Horn Borer”)…Gandálfr (“Wand-Alf”) and Galarr (“Chanter”)…Fjǫlsviðr (“Very Wise”—a name shared with Odin), Alvíss (“All-Wise”)…Ráðviðr (“Rede-Wise”). Vindálfr (“WindAlf”) and Frosti (“Frost”)…Nýi and Niði (“New Moon” and “Waning Moon”), and Austri (“East”), Norðri (“North”), Vestri (“West”), and Suðri (“South”), who hold up Ymir’s skull, the dome of the sky (Gylfaginning 8).”
Pg 566. Our Troth Vol II, ed Ben Waggoner.

What Kind of Relationships Can Develop with the Dvergar?

• Acquaintance

  • Not every vættr needs our undying love and support. Many are fine with us keeping our distance and being someone who occasionally says hi. If you find you do not ‘click’ with the Dvergar there is nothing wrong with just being acquainted with Them.

• Friendship

  • Sometimes we do ‘click’ with vættir and what grows out of mutual interests or hobbies can blossom into a good friendship.

• Lovers

  • Sometimes we ‘click’ so well with vættir that becoming a lover is an option. While the parameters of what that looks like, how it works, and what the boundaries are like are up to each person, it is worth at least naming it as a possibility even if most will not go this route with Them.

• Transactional

  • More than other vættir, I have seen Dvergar engage quite happily in transactional relationships. In my experience They can be slow to trust and it is probably the worst idea to go back on an agreement with Them. Among other tools to enact vengeance, They can employ Dvergskot (Dwarf-shot). Like most of the vættir in Heathenry, They put a premium on honoring your word, probably an especially high price given how used They have been in the myths.

• Master/apprentice

  • Sometimes, an enterprising person might reach out to the Dvergar for help in mastering a craft. This is a powerful relationship that brings as much work, in my understanding, as my own as a spiritworker. Duergarbok: The Dwarves of the Northern Tradition by Susannah Ravenswing, is a good exploration of one spiritworker’s relationship with the Dvergar as a sacred craftsperson. They can be very demanding of Their apprentices, and so, it is not a relationship to pursue lightly or in jest.

• Respect for crafters, whether of Their own works or of Gods’ tools and/or weapon

  • Simply having respect for the work They do can be enough for many Dvergar. If you can think of a craft, there is likely a Dvergar that engages in or with it. If there is an art form, likewise. While not the only vættir that are involved with crafting, when it comes to working with Their hands They are renowned for it with good reason.

Thing to Know about the Dvergar

• Not all Dvergar have your best interest at heart. Some are downright bastards.

• You may not need to offend a Dvergr to get hit with dvergshot. Some are more deceitful/roguish and may be trying to get things from you.

• Dvergar can have any skin color, many heights, and Their features may resemble that of any nationality here in Miðgarðr. It is important to remember, though, They are not human.

• Like many of our Gods, Dvergar may not have all Their limbs, They may have prosthetics, and/or visible scars, tattoos, etc.

  • If They share how They came by them and/or what the meaning they have, be grateful. This may help ID this Dvergr in the future, share information on Their relationship with/to other Beings, and/or be close to the chest for Them.

• Not all Dvergar do a craft just like not all of us engage in physical labor for our day job. There are a great many ways of being engaged in the Worlds, and we should not overfocus on these to the exclusion of how else Dvergar may show up in our lives. While some of the most notable do engage in crafts, not all will, and of those that do, there are great many crafts beyond blacksmithing that a Dvergr can engage in or with.

• As with our Gods, each Dvergr is unique and may/may not hold the same interests, views, ideas, craft, politics, or other views as another.

  • While approaching Them more as a monolith may help to start with regard to general conduct starting out, some may eschew closer to mythological and folklore idea of how the Dvergar “ought” to act.

Establishing and Maintaining Relationships with the Dvergar

These are the most common ways I work with to develop relationships with vættir, and worked well in developing them with the Dvergar:

• Make a vé/stalli or include Them in one

  • Vé are outside sacred spaces, and stalli are altars indoors. Even if all you can do is make space for the Dvergar on a section of a stalli, that can often be enough for Them.

• Engage in regular ritual contact with the Dvergar at regular intervals, eg once per week or month at a vé or stalli.

• Make contact with a liaison Dvergr. This is done in my workshop Digging the Dvergar: Developing Relationships with Dwarves. Note: If you want access to the recording of this workshop in September, access is $30 and includes the recording and files for the workshop.

  • The liaison Dvergr helps provide a bridge between the people and other Dvergar, signaling to both that the person is trustworthy enough to build a relationship with and bringing in Dvergar of good will for them to build those relationships with.

• Explore the kinds of relationships one can have with the Dvergar including friendship, lovers, transactional, master/apprentice, and respect for crafters of Gods’ tools and/or weapons.

• Offerings:

  • Offerings of work on a craft project whether in leather, metal, wood, fiber, and/or food.

  • Offerings of good beer, good whiskey, good bread, and meat, or non-alcoholic options, such as juices. If the food and drink offerings are made by your hands, so much the better.

  • Sacred herbs such as watercress or chervil can be good offerings as well and help to develop these relationships.

  • Offerings of praise, poem, song, prayers, and the like. Writing is a craft, too!

Conclusion

Remember, the Dvergar are Beings that deserve good Gebo just as with any other Being you would hope to form a relationship with. They are immensely powerful, but as with other vaettir, They are not omniscient, omnipresent, or omnipotent. They have limits to what They can do, what They will accept, and what They will impart to you.

Treating Them as whole people, and giving Them regular time can help build up your ties in time. They do not tend to rush, so do not expect Them to respect haste in kind. In my experience diligently work on the relationship, rather than sweeping gestures, gets you further and builds it up in a full, structured way, that stabilizes it as it grows. If all you are looking for is amicable trade, many Dvergar will certainly be game. Treated well and with the honor They are due, They may over time become staunch allies, even friends.

Treat Them with honor and respect and They should do the same with you.

“I would love to know your thoughts/experiences with immigrant spirits such as fae, djinn, etc. These are more easily encountered in the urban, but I’ve heard of some lost in the woods incidents.”

On the Djinn and the Fae

The Djinn and the Fae are vættir I tend to do as little as I can with as possible. The main reason I steer clear of Them tends to be around the warnings I have gotten to do just that, both from folks who work with Them and from the bits of folklore I have read, or watched videos on. While I have had experiences with both, I am cagey about Them in part because They tend to be outside of my wheelhouse.

To be clear, I find both of these groups are about as dangerous as a lot of vættir, and I understand the Fae and the Álfar to be cousins. I hold the Fae in especial caution because of how I understand Their interpretation of morality and our World to work. Djinn are, on the whole much more relatable in a human-like way to me even though They are Beings of Smoke and Fire. Though there are certainly exceptions (and Gods know that I know less of the Fae than I do of the Djinn), I can grasp Their motivations and relations with us much easier than I can many of the Fae.

There are similarities between the Fae and Djinn in many ways, eg “Did you abrogate my space?” and “Have you shown me disrespect?” being two huge ways that readily come to mind. In the end, They want reciprocity through different ways because They are different groups of vættir with different aims, desires, and views. In my understanding, though, nothing will piss Them off quicker than threatening or harming folks They have relationships with, or a claim on. Rather than dodge the question, at least where the Fae and Djinn are concerned, the experiences that I have had with Them are fairly close to the chest, so I will abstain from commenting further on Them at the moment.

On Heathen Immigrant Vættir

The immigrant spirits I encounter the most are the vættir from my religion, Heathenry. While some Jötnar, Álfar, Dvergar, and trolls have been here a long time, They are definitely different from the vættir who have been here the longest. After Them, the immigrant spirits I encounter the most are the Dead.

I cannot recall ever having encountered a Jötun in an urban setting -it isn’t impossible, though in my experience They tend to like uncultivated and/or primal spaces, as I mentioned in On Heathen Vættir and Identification. Ljóssálfar tend to be rarer than Svartálfar, Dvergar, and trolls in urban settings.

I tend to experience Ljóssálfar in more green spaces, so parks or just decent-sized trees or boulders tend to be places I will experience Them. The boulders are not always Theirs alone, though, so I may encounter a Ljóssálfr at one boulder, a Svartálfr another, and Dvergr at yet another. If there is a grove or copse of trees, these tend to ‘ping’ more as Ljóssálfar-aligned. I think it is important to note that They are not the tree or boulder -the tree or boulder is a home for Them, or at least a contact point.

Svartálfar I tend to experience in the more dark, gritty areas of cities. They tend to like dark and underground places, and my experience of Them here is no different. They tend to like the between places where the longest, deepest shadows get cast or the underground and above ground meet. While there are no subways near me, I could see the station entrances as being places They might be found at. While I associate the trainyards and industrial areas with Dvergar and bridges and access points with trolls, Svartálfar I associate with the between and crossroads of these areas.

Dvergar, as I mentioned before, I associate with trainyards and industrial areas. I also associate Them with underground places, such as basements, and holding areas like warehouses. I have felt Them in the underground of a night club, for instance, both in terms of just being underground and in the DJ’s craft. A phrase comes up a lot with the Dvergar when I am doing readings involving Them that factors into where I tend to find Them: “the work of your hands”, and that can be a night club as equally as a forge.

Trolls I tend to find in the between spaces like bridges, overpasses, and by the side of bodies of water. With a place like Ann Arbor that has the Huron River running through parts of it, the trolls can get quite thick. They also sometimes share space with other vættir, whether landvættir, vatnvættir (water spirits), or Dvergar. I went hiking through a pace where the Huron River ran and it was near a trainyard, so there were all these various vættir cohabiting like the humans not too far off in the apartments, doing the equivalent (if not the actual act) of waiving to one another as They passed. I have encountered trolls in dense forest and swamp and had an immediate reaction of being in danger, but the trolls here in the midst of the city were completely unbothered by my presence in a way that threw me. It was not that the trolls were not dangerous, but that I was just another human in a city full of them, and not worth bothering with unless I said hello.

Vættir in Public Spaces

I tend to experience a range of vættir around in urban areas around places like coffee houses. Likewise bars and train stations. It seems they tend to serve a similar function for other vættir to that of us humans -they are gathering places. If They are trying to meet with one another, these places tend to provide neutral ground for that. If They are trying to meet with humans, it may be easier to reach them in these public spaces, especially since most humans will avoid, say, trainyards.

Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Milan have little ‘fairy doors’ that occupy the sides of buildings. On ocassion, they can be found inside shops like Crazy Wisdom in Ann Arbor or outside of The Owl in Milan. They tend to be whimsical little doorways, sometimes with dioramas or scenes inside of them, and while many are not regularly spiritually occupied, some are. Folks will leave little offerings at the doors. I would interact with these at your own risk until and unless you know who and what occupies the door space and if you want Them to follow you home or expect you back.

I find these dedicated spaces to be set apart even if they are in public or semi-public spaces like coffee houses, bookstores, libraries, and bars. While these are for everyone, these ‘fairy doors’ serve as a home, portal, or liminal contact point. Their occupants might be wholly different from the comers and goers. I find myself wondering how different things would be if we had more multi-use housing like we did a generation or two ago, where shop owners would live above their shops.

The Dead

Whether sitting down to doing a Rune Reading for a client or just wandering around, the Dead are some of the most active I encounter. While landvættir in a cemetery might be content to just let humans stroll by, the Dead there are often loud. When I travel to my local graveyards it is like lighting a fire under Their ass. They want to talk! They want to be heard! All at once!

Just driving past a graveyard or funeral home tends to stir up the Dead for me. Sometimes the easiest way to not get bumrushed is to just make a simple acknowledgement when you pass a graveyard so They’re not trying to get my attention when I drive past. My family’s prayer for human Dead is “Hail to the Dead! Hail to the Warrior Dead! Hail to the Military Dead!” when we pass graveyards and funeral homes. When we pass by animals who have been struck, the prayer is “Hail to the Roadside Dead!” We may add a prayer on to this: “Hail the carrion eaters! May you be safe!” If we are on a long roadtrip or a long stretch of road, rather than making this prayer to everyone we pass by, we may start it by saying “Hail to all the Dead of this road!” followed by the Carrion Eater Prayer.

The Dead tend to be the immigrant spirits I interact with most whether out and about or in ritual because everyone has Them. Yes, even vættir like Jötnar, Álfar, and Dvergar. When I used to read for The Wandering Owl a good chunk of folks were coming in with Ancestor issues. When I did an all-day reading even for the now-closed Kokopelli’s Korner, damn near everyone I read for had some kind of Ancestor issue pop up. It got to the point where I was considering making a sign encouraging folks to make an Ancestor altar, or maybe a ‘zine explainer for the same.

Closing Thoughts

Since I am the great-granchild of an immigrant whose Ancestors let go of the language and many of the old ways, in some ways I am reforging relationships with vættir that They may have once known. Heathenry felt like coming home in part because of that feeling. Like I was picking up the laid down threads of Ancestors long dead, revitalizing old ties. Many of these immigrant vættir are, metaphorically and sometimes quite literally, Ancestors and/or Ancestral connections.

Every time I pick up a relationship with vættr my Ancestors may have known, there is this feeling of coming back into alignment, of relationship, of connection. Sometimes there is pain there, whether from the vættir or the Ancestor(s), and sometimes there is a feeling of “finally!” and satisfaction. I think we live in a powerfully connective time, when not only our Ancestors are reaching out, but the many vættir, related to us and not, are reaching out for connection. Some of my most powerful and enduring relationships are with vættir that are little remarked upon in modern Pagan and Heathen books. Because of these experiences, I deeply encourage folks to make contact and start forging those relationships, passing these down for future generations in wholly new ways, creating new traditions, new pathways, new folkways that endure between ourselves and the vættir we share Miðgarðr with.

“What do you mean when you say “viewed through the Heathen lens?” It opens doors for good comparative religion dialogue.”

Defining Terms

Before I get into answering this, I think defining terms so we have a shared lexicon is helpful.

When I use the words Heathen and Heathenry, this is what I mean:
Heathenry is a modern religious movement that takes inspiration from and worships and believes in the Ginnreginn (Gods, Ancestors, and vættir) of ancient Northern European cultures such as Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, and England.

Heathens are people who live their lives through this religious worldview.
The grounding of Heathenry, and so, the Heathen worldview, is polytheism and animism. Polytheism is the belief in and worship of many Gods. Animism is the belief in and maintenance of relationship with many spirits.

Among the Gods one may choose to worship and otherwise develop relations with are Óðinn, Frigg, þórr, Loki, Freyja, Freyr, Jörð, and Skaði. Ancestor worship and veneration is a common feature of Heathen religion. One may choose to worship and form relationships with a number of vættir/wights (Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon respectively for the word ‘spirits’), including one’s Ancestors, as well as a number of other vættir/wights such as Álfar/Ælfe (ON and AS for ‘Elves’) and Dvergar/Dweorgas (ON and AS for ‘dwarves’).

The Heathen Lens

The Heathen lens is one in which the Worlds, this one included, is full of Ginnreginn, and the understanding that the ebb and flow of life as we experience and understand it is an interconnected carving or weaving in co-creation with all other Beings. A generally accepted framework of understanding is that this World, Miðgarðr (Middle-Guard or Middle Enclosure) is one of many Worlds hanging from or otherwise enmeshed with the World Tree, known as Yggdrasil or Læraðr in Old Norse. These Worlds can include Muspelheim (Fire Home/Realm/World), Nifelheim (Ice and Fog Home/Realm/World), and Helheim (Dead Home/Realm/World). As there are many Worlds there are also many souls, including the Likr (physical body), Önd (breath), Hamr (second self), Megin (personal power), and Hamingja (group power/luck). See the Glossary for more terms.

The Heathen lens is informed by its polytheist and animist stance, the ‘home cultures’ one takes their inspiration from, the Ginnreginn with which one develops and maintains relationships, and the practices both exoteric and esoteric one is involved with. There can be quite a wide variation in what a Heathen lens entails due to these factors.

My Heathen Lens

With this understanding, my own worldview is primarily informed by Icelandic and Norse sources, with the occasional spattering of Germanic and Anglo-Saxon sources. I differ from many Heathens, in that I worship Jötnar in addition to the Æsir and Vanir tribes of Gods, and consider Them to be equally among the tribes of Gods. While I would say this is becoming more mainstream within Heathenry, both in my experience with individual Heathens and having been part of the folks in The Troth that succesfully urged them to set aside their ban of open Jötnar blótar at Trothmoot and other gatherings, it is not yet fully mainstream. While worship of and forming relationships with many vættir, especially Ancestors, is becoming mainstream, less common are developing relationships with distinctly non-human vættir such as Álfar and Dvergar. This is something I engage with every day.

Instead of ‘the’ Heathen worldview, it is probably more accurate to say ‘my’ Heathen worldview. While many Heathens share my worldview, I certainly do not and cannot speak for the whole excepting in very broad ways. My Heathen worldview, then, is to see a living world full of vættir and Their Megin (power) wherever I look. It is to see the intersection of many Worlds with this one, and the interconnectedness of Urðr. This Goddess, whose name is often translated as ‘that which was’ and ‘fate, dire fate’ is also the name of the concept of how we co-create with the Ginnreginn, often visualized through the metaphor of weaving a tapestry or carving onto a stone. The Anglo-Saxon cognate to this concept is Wyrd, though as far as I know there is no Goddess by that name in the sources.

It is important to note that in this understanding of Urðr we are not just co-creating with the Gods -we also co-create with the Ancestors and various vættir we share Yggdrasil with. Not all of these co-creations are amicable. We will not be in harmony with every vættr we come across, no matter that we may in the end of be interrelated through the unfolding of Creation in the Creation Story from the Ginnungagap (the primal void) from which Fire and Ice first came. It is well worth remembering that our own World was born from the death and dismemberment of the first of the Ice Jötnar, Ýmir, by His grandchildren Óðinn, Víli/Hœnir, and Vé/Lóðurr.

Reciprocity permeates my worldview as a result of this understanding. Far better the reciprocity you agree to than is imposed on you, as it was with Ýmir. While there are many ethical and philosophical systems available to Heathens, the ethic that underpins Heathenry more than any other, and which I would be so bold as to say is the universal Heathen ethic, is hospitality. Hospitality is right relationships between host and guest. Right relationships between host and guest honors the autonomy between them, and provides and upholds the concepts frið or grið between them. Grið is a temporary peace or asylum of good social order, and frið is the lasting agreed upon peace and good social order. Both are upheld by right relationship between both parties.

Guiding Questions

The guiding questions behind a general Heathen lens are:

“What obligations and responsibilities do I hold with this person/situation/place?”
“Am I acting in right relationship?”
“Are we in frið or grið? What must/must not be done to uphold frið or grið?”
“Is this act hospitable?”
”How do I further reciprocity?”

The ways these guiding questions are answered by Heathens are many, though these are the main factors behind how I answer:

Priorities

My priorities are first to the Ginnreginn, then family, then tribe, then wider communities.

Obligations

Those to Whom or what I hold obligation are considered first in a given scenario.

Ethics

The actions I take are in line with my ethics.

Consistent and Adaptable

While the factors a Heathen lens takes in is fairly consistent Heathen to Heathen, how we understand the factors and what place they hold within our lives makes an immense difference in how we act. An example:

When I interact with a non-Heathen vættr, all of the above questions factor into how that interaction goes. Is my treatment of this vættr consistent with my ethics, including hospitality and reciprocity? Is my treatment of this vættr fulfilling my obligtions I may hold, eg if I am holding a public ritual there are many folks whose vættr may show up, are They being offered offerings acceptable to Them? Do I have priorities that must be seen to before interacting with this non-Heathen vættr?

Outwardly, my Heathen lens may not appear all that drastically different from other polytheists or animists. I think, in many of our base considerations, we are on the same page even if how we see to them differs considerably from one another. The particulars matter, though. What is sacred to us might be forbidden to another. How we see to them, such as making an offering of mead, or marking a place in Runes so it is safe and welcome to Ginnreginn, are not merely an æsthetic choice of how we practice our religion; they are part of how it is given expression and how our relationships unfold.

The baseline understanding that we all are co-creating in Urðr ripples out in understanding to how we encounter and treat one another. Each has Megin available to them, and in respect to that the guiding ethics we carry also help serve to keep the peace and good social order of frið or grið, and when that is broken how we may address that. The understanding and knowing of how to engage in reciprocity well serves to keep our relationships maintained, and our social circles cared for.

From there, the Heathen lens is informed by the particulars of the home culture that informs how we understand the cosmos, Who we share it with, and develops the language and knowledge of the Ginnreginn, religion, and our lifeway. How we come to interact with the vættir unfolds from this, whether through gaining words like seiðr and investigating how we engage in it, knowledge of the Runes and how we interact with Them starting off, or simply how we conduct our hearth cultus. The Heathen lens is the locus through which we understand not only ourselves, but everything, and it is through that lens that we know how to act accordingly.

Hello, I am Sarenth Óðinsson. I am a Heathen spiritworker, erilaz (Runemaster), goði (priest/chief) of a small Kindred in SE Michigan, and independant priest of Óðinn and Anpu. I have been serving the Heathen and general Pagan communities for the last 20 years. I divine, do Runework, seiðr, write, and teach on topics relevant to Heathenry and the Pagan communities. These Spiritwork Services can be found here.

I am a Heathen, a polytheist and animist, and participant in my local Heathen and Pagan communities. My spiritual communities include the Ginnreginn (Gods, Ancestors and vættir) with Whom I hold relationships. Among these vættir are the home and húsvættir (house spirits), and the vatnvættir (water spirits) and landvættir with which I live.

What I Have Done

I compiled and edited the devotional anthology Calling to Our Ancestors released by Asphodel Press, and have contributed to several devotional books by Bibliotheca Alexandria. I have written for RendingtheVeil.com, and Witches & Pagans magazines.

I co-hosted the podcast Around the Grandfather Fire, with discussions about spirituality, Paganism, animism, polytheism, and the occult, around a virtual sacred fire.

I co-hosted the YouTube Channel 3 Pagans on Tap, where we explored deep dives on spiritual topics and experiences.

I was a Sacred Firetender for the years that Michigan Paganfest ran, and served as a Sacred Firetender at Midwest Shaman Conference. I served on the Board of Directors for Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm for 6 years. In the past 11 years I worked as a member of the organizing committee for Pagan Pride Ann Arbor.

This year I presented two workshops at Crazy Wisdom for Witches’ Night Out and another at Oracle’s Apothecary. I have been presenting workshops at ConVocation on a variety of topics since 2006. This coming ConVocation in February 2026, I will be presenting three workshops: Seeking the Svartálfar, Basics of Heathen Souls: Sálættr, and Basics of Seiðr.

This Substack

This Substack is where I write on ideas that are relevant to Heathenry and the Pagan communities. A Glossary of Heathen Terms, Basics of the Heathen Souls, and Where to Start with Heathen Magic are among my many posts that will be of use to newcomers to Heathenry. I also write on advanced topics, such as Connecting to Adversarial Ancestors and Blood in Runework. If you want to contribute to the topics I write on each month, sign up for my Substack and contribute your questions!

My Spiritwork

Being an erilaz has meant working hand-in-hand with the Runes. My relationship with the Runevættir (Rune spirits) is informed by historical inquiries and 20 years of applied experience in Heathen spiritwork. I have spent those 20 years learning as much as I could through the historical sources we have on Runework, and from there, working with the Runevættir. The Runework I do on behalf of others can range from simple bindrunes for focus or strength to complex ones that shift opportunities and do ongoing work as you interact with the bindrune.

Among the topics I tackle in divination are life paths, the state of your souls, communing with Ginnreginn (Gods, Ancestors, and vættir), and troubleshooting spiritual issues. These can be delivered in person, through email, or done live on Zoom if you would like to be present and receive a recording afterward.

If you want to see even more writing from me, my WordPress, which I have been writing at for 15 years, can be found here.

To support my work, to schedule a reading, to schedule spiritwork, or for teaching, my Patreon is here and my email is Sarenth@gmail.com. Booking, interview requests, and other inquiries can be made at my email.

Water is wet, the Pope is Catholic, and monogamy is the norm they wish to enforce. Between the cultural forces they are pushing against and economic realities, I doubt this is going to make much of an impact. For those Catholics who are polygamist or polyamorist, my heart does go out to you. It hurts to be targeted directly by an institution whose Savior preached love for one’s neighbor. Since most Catholics ignore the Church’s teachings on abstinence, sex, and especially birth control (which...yeah please do) I expect this will also be ignored.

What About Our View?

This latest input from the Catholic Church got me thinking about what a non-issue polyamory is for a majority of the world’s religions and cultures. There are issues to address within these relationship models, yet the issues taken up are within the model and not the idea of polyamory itself. It also got me thinking on how we approach love, companionship, and relationships more broadly.

Heathenry holds no special place for any relationship model. While many of our Gods in the myths may hold to what we now recognize sa different relationship styles, the religion of Heathenry holds neither polyamory or monogamy, or, for that matter, any relationship type whether platonic, romantic, or otherwise as especially holy or good. Rather, it is how the relationships are formed, boundaries and needs met, that determines if the relationship is good or not.

Clearly, we Heathens prize the relationships we are in, and we can understand those to be blessed in many ways. Many of us have developed formal ceremonies for marriage, adoption, and other types of relationship-making, of course, and we also can ask the Ginnreginn to recognize when we make kin of one another in less formal ways as well. These might be made in the presence of a góði/gyðja, a priest, or other recognized spiritual figure from within our communities. We might also just ask our friends and family to bear witness as we welcome someone into our family.

If there is no especial status granted or denied to polyamory, that could be the end of the post there. However, I think it is worth exploring that our Gods model different kinds of relationships in the myths. Óðinn seems to have multiple relationships going on all at once, likewise Frigg, with the number of them depending on how you read the myths. Skaði and Njorðr are seen getting married and then having a healthy, amicable divorce. Loki carries on relationships with Angrböða and Sigyn. þórr and Sif seem to be one of the few blatant examples of monogamous coupling. The Gods, both from myth and my own experience of Them, seem fully fine with there being multiple relationship models. Vættir seem to be oriented on similar lines. Unfortunately, we have precious few examples in the myths of vættir in romantic relationships. The one that comes to mind is between Brynnhildr/Sigrdrifa and Sigurðr. In my experience speaking with vættir for the better part of 20 years, again, one relationship model is not prized above the others.

What is the common thread regarding relationships with the Ginnreginn generally is:
Are you doing what you agreed to?
Are you in right relationship, however that is defined, between yourselves and the Ginnreginn?
If you are in a relationship with someone, is it being cared for, maintained, and engaged with in healthy ways that both parties agreed to?

With hospitality the prevailing ethic of Heathenry, and I would argue polytheism and animism broadly, “Am I being a good guest/host/partner?” is the first best question among many to ask. You can break down what ‘good’ means here in a number of ways, such as “Am I causing the least amount of harm to the most amount of people?” (the utilitarian view), “Are my actions based in intention that is morally correct?” (the deontological view), or “Will my actions produce the best and highest positive results for all involved?” (the consequentialist view). The point is not that one answer is inherently better than the others (though I personally have an especial, visceral irritation/disdain for deontology -fuck Kant) but that you are engaged in active dialogue with your own thoughts, actions, and the impact those have on those you are in relationship with through the lens of Heathenry.

Sacrality in Relationships

If monogamy is no more holy than polyamory, the sacrality that we might experience and express towards our relationships has to do with them being good, sacred relationships than anything inherent to monogamy or polyamory. What is it to be in a sacred relationship, then? It is based in the ethic of hospitality, consent, and care between those in it.

The relationship is upheld by the choice to continue in the relationship, to hold to agreed boundaries, and where needed, to allow change to occur. Sacred relationships are based in Gebo, gift for a gift -in other words, reciprocity. A lot of folks will say that good relationships are split 50/50. In my understanding and experience, they are rarely that way at all times. Sometimes you are doing 90/10, sometimes it is 40/60.

The point is not whether or not you hit an ideal percentage of work or time in the relationship, but that what you are able to contribute to a relationship does not stay steady. The relationships I have had last long-term have this understanding in them -that sometimes, one or multiple of the folks in the relationship may have to do more of the work in the relationship, and when the other(s) need, they will be taken care of, helped, or supported in kind. This has been true of romantic and platonic relationships, mind. This has also been true of my relationships with Ginnreginn.

Sacrality in relationships has more to do with maintaining them through regular interactions and care than it has to do with grand gestures. I think of the Hávamál here, especially 34 and 41-44 from Völuspá.org:

“34. Crooked and far | is the road to a foe,
Though his house on the highway be;
But wide and straight | is the way to a friend,
Though far away he fare.”

“41. Friends shall gladden each other | with arms and garments,
As each for himself can see;
Gift-givers’ friendships | are longest found,
If fair their fates may be.

42. To his friend a man | a friend shall prove,
And gifts with gifts requite;
But men shall mocking | with mockery answer,
And fraud with falsehood meet.

43. To his friend a man | a friend shall prove,
To him and the friend of his friend;
But never a man | shall friendship make
With one of his foeman’s friends.

44. If a friend thou hast | whom thou fully wilt trust,
And good from him wouldst get,
Thy thoughts with his mingle, | and gifts shalt thou make,
And fare to find him oft.”

Relationships, Endings, and New Beginnings

In the Bluesky thread I was reading, there was back and forth on relationships ending. Something about the way some folks wrote about relationships ending made my teeth itch. The idea of relationships ending being some kind of horrible thing that ought to be avoided. Why is a forever-relationship the goal, though? Is that not just an extension of the overculture’s monogamous “’Til Death do you part” idea? Sometimes folks come in and out of our lives, and healthy relationships allow that sometimes folks drift apart, or choose to separate at a good time rather than let the relationship decline, splinter, or blow up.

I am blessed that, for the most part, when I have had relationships end, after time to process through things, those romantic relationships I have been in became friendships. I was even blessed to be invited to preside over one of my former partners’ wedding! How fucking cool is that?!

There is space for this kind of thing because Heathenry has space for it. It has space for difference, for unfolding, for change. Polyamory allows for us to be in relationships and for the dimensions of those relationships to change. It also allows for us to come out of a relationship, for change to happen, and for us to come back into relationship with one another in new ways. Yes, things end, and then they begin again. When there is not a terminal end to time in your cosmology, it is funny how that informs your perspective in other matters.

Now, some might point to the sagas and say “but the norm there is heterosexual marriage/coupling”. Yes, and that was in the past. I am not a Viking from 1060 CE. I am a modern Heathen worshipping my Ginnreginn in modern times. I have no need to carry the Ancestors’ cultural norms into today. Hell, if I did that I would still likely be Catholic.

Given our polytheist and animist outlook as Heathens, it should not surprise folks that there is space for many kinds of relationships, romantic and platonic, sexual and asexual, with spectrums between to explore or not as we desire to. We are not locked into a single romance/sexual dynamic, either by dint of our religious myths or by centuries of tradition. There is an amazing amount of freedom within Heathenry as a result. I would have us embrace that freedom of choosing to build relationships who we will, whether it is one or with countless folks, than to lock us into a single Heathen idea of what love and relationships ‘ought’ to look like or be.

May the relationships we engage in be beautiful, sustaining, and sacred!

“I would love to see more on spirit identifications and authentication.”

Factors for Vættir Identification

These are some of the most important contexts for vættir (spirits) identification:

Where a vættr is found, how one’s spiritual sensations are reacting to Them, and what kind of communication or interaction occurs when a person reaches out to Them. I also find it important to note relationships with Ginnreginn you already hold. Some of these can be worked with to hold open doors by vættir wanting to develop relationships with humans. For instance, Freyr is said to rule Álfheimr as He received the World as a tooth-gift, and so He and, in my experience, Freyja, may handshake humans with Álfar and help Them build relationships. They can also do the same for us.

Where a vættr is found can say a lot about the kind of vættr it likely is. Most vættir in Heathenry tend to have environments that They favor. Dvergar and Svartálfar prefer underground settings or ones that are close to them. By contrast, I find Álfar tend to be in the middle of forests, between or near farms, or around large boulders in forests or swamps, whereas Jötnar prefer wild, primal places. Vanir I tend to find most often in or around farms, fishing areas, greenhouses, and that kind of thing. Æsir I tend to find in cultivated spaces, whether urban or rural, and seem to really enjoy enclosed spaces whether those are with fences or protective elements to them. I find most of these vættir can frequent cities and rural areas alike, though the Jötnar tend to still to wilder places in natural, and Æsir the more urban. While location may not be a slam dunk insofar as vættir identification goes, it helps.

Why can we not just discern if a Dvergar or Álfar is living near a mound, or if a Jötnar has claimed a wild space merely by where we find the vættr? Because we live in America, and all the various native vættir, great and small, sure as hell did not just pack up and leave when colonization happened. Knowing your local myths, legends, and having actual right relationship with the local landvættir and other vættir is needed if you are going to live somewhere. You also need to be clear when you are interacting with these vættir through a Heathen lens, and if the vættir find that lens acceptable. I found with the Great Lakes that They wanted to build a relationship with me through a Heathen lens, though certainly not every vættr I have run across in Michigan is agreeable to this.

Another major source for discerning vættir is the spiritual sensations you can take in when interacting with Them. In my understanding, everyone can perceive vættir though we may not do it in the same way. What may be lacking is the ability to recognize when that is occuring, and training to refine the skill necessary to open up/close down as desired. However, cataloging sensations when it comes to various vættir is part of identifying Them. After all, vættir travel, and getting a nose (somewhat literally in some cases, since smell is a sensation we can interpret spiritual information through) for what vættir produce what sensations allows us more modes of discernment. The incidental insights around feelings, sights, scents, tastes, or perhaps feelings of light touch or pressure can be looked at, and form how we understand a vættr is contacting or in contact with us.

This is why having workshops like Digging the Dvergar and Encountering the Runes is so important. It gives space to folks to connect with various vættir with a person who understands Them and knows what to look for in contacting Them. Moreover, these workshops have vættir who have stepped forward to be part of these workshops as liasions. You can get a feel for how your spiritual sensations react to these vættir, what Their “tells” are, and what methods work best in communicating with Them. If you cannot make it to a workshop like these, both are available in recording form if you want them.

These designated liasion vættir are invaluable to being sure that the vættr at hand I am communing with is, indeed, of the kind I am looking to connect with. I would also recommend you to have at least one if not a few vættir to help keep you safe while you do these kinds of exploratory work. A vættr that is specifically there to help keep you safe is known as a vorðr, or guardian, in Heathenry. Most often when I’m writing about your first interaction with vættir, the vættir that I insist people tend to go to first for guidance, care, and liasioning to other vættir are their Ancestors. I’ve written about this and talked about in my workshop so much I sometimes forget to put that in articles like this. The vættir that help to screen and protect you in contacting other vættir do not have to be Ancestors, but They are the first ones I recommend to everyone before others.

If a workshop format is not your style and you are more about figuring things out as you go through them, then having reliable ways of verifying if what you are perceiving as vættir are going to be needed even more. Know your local folklore if possible, and know as much about the vættir as you can before trying to contact Them. While divination is certainly not foolproof, it is a tool in the toolbox. Likewise for asking folks who have experience working with the vættir you are interested in contacting.

A Quick Guide to Heathen Vættir Identification

Æsir

World: Asgarðr

Visual references: I tend to see Them dressed in either period clothes for around 300 CE-1200 CE, or in modern clothes. Óðinn has always appeared to me with some kind of hat, hood, or similar head covering. Sometimes He wears an eyepatch, and other times He displays His missing eye. There is sometimes an aura of light around Them in my visions of Them, and other times Æsir look about as real as a human walking around. Homes of stone or wood, large halls in the middle of ringed forts and walled towns.

Aural references: The soft patter of leather soled shoes on stone, hard boots on concrete, the growl or howling of wolves, the snarl of bears, and sometimes a voice raised in song. The call of ravens or crows. When it comes to the Gods, no matter the tribe of God, I experience Them as having distinct voices from one another. Óðinn’s tends to be more on the gravelly side, Mímir’s deep baritone.

I tend to experience Æsir voices generally between the tenor, alto, and bass.

Osmic references: The scent of mugwort, nettle, juniper, oak, and various teas. I associate chamomile with both Frigg and Freyja, so if I am mostly getting spiritual information through scent I generally look for another smell, such as earthy tones for Frigg, or honey, chamomile, or amber for Freyja. The average Æsir smells to me like meat, onions, beer, mead, or one of the above scents, especially mugwort or nettle. Smells of metal, especially steel or iron.

Gustatory references: Given the interplay between scent and taste it should not surprise that many of these tastes follow them. The mugwort I taste is in tea form, but not overbrewed, but it still has that tannin bitterness to it. Nettle, I either experience in the bitter tea form or in the more bright, just-fried in butter taste. Juniper either comes through as gin or kind of an acidic taste. Mutton, beef, and sometimes pork are tastes I associate with Æsir. Metallic tastes.

Alcohol -Mead, Jack Daniel Whiskey, Old Crow Whiskey, Honey Whiskies, whiskies in general.

Tactile references: Calloused hands from hard fighting, sometimes the feeling of a fieldhand’s hands. Steel or metallic surfaces. Feeling of oak, ash, and birch trees. The feel of a spear, sword, and/or seax in my hand. The feel of tapestry.

Jötnar

World: Jötunheimr, Nifelheimr, Muspelheimr, sometimes Miðgarðr.

Visual references: The visual references for Jötnar can depend on if They are heavily aligned with an element -Earth-oriented Jötnar, like Jörð, tend to have aspects of it integrated into how they look to me. Jörð, for instance, looks like a section of the ground came to life with dark brown or black skin, green hair like grass, deep green eyes, and tree or plant roots as Her feet. Jötnar, such as Jökul tend to look like living portons of Their Worlds, with frost-covered hair, limbs looking like They are cut from glaciers, and cold blue eyes. Certainly not all look this way, as Skaði tends to look like a wandering hunter to me, dressed in warm furs, a bow slung over Her shoulder, spear in hand, and sword at Her side.

When it comes to the Jötnar from Jötunheimr, They can take a number of forms, from half-animal forms to what basically looks like people, though there is always a sense of primal wildness about Them. The more human-like of Them tend to wear simple shaped clothes, and I tended to see more nal-bound items with Them than the other tribes of Gods. (Note: Nálbinding/nal-binding is an ancient form of textile craft. This Wikipedia entry goes over it nicely, as does this PDF from the University of Stavanger, and this website from Heritage Crafts in the UK..) I also see the homes They inhabit as being made of turf, wood, or cob-like structures. Some Jötnar move around and Their homes remind me more of tents or maybe yurts made with animal skin.

Aural references: The growl of predatory animals, elk calls, the sound of feet on grass, the swaying of trees. Campfire or bonfires burning, the lap of waters, the slow crinkling sound of ice or breaking of ice, the roll of a rock or boulder.

I tend to experience Their voices in the tenor to bass range.

Osmic references: Elementally: Fire -Smoke, campfires, bonfires, and candle scents. Ice -The ‘smell’ of fresh snow or ice, menthol, and wintergreen. Earth -Petrichor, undergrowth of the forest, pine, and compost. Water -Tea, vodka, rain as it is forming, and seaweed. Air -Sweet incenses and flowers.

The scents I associate with other Jötnar tend to be animalistic ones, whether heavy and musky odors, or even sweeter scents that I associate with cats. I associate more pungent scents with Jötnar generally.

Gustatory references: I tend to associate heavy or powerful tastes, like salt, garlic, onion, fennel, and hot spices with the Jötnar. Hot spices I tend to think of with regard to Fire-aligned Jötnar, whereas menthol and wintergreen work well for Ice Jötnar.

Alcohol -Fire: Fireball, peppery or hot pepper-infused drinks, high-ABV vodka. -Ice: mellow vodkas, mixed cool cocktails, iced drinks generally. -Earth: Dark beers or IPAs. -Water:

Tactile references: Elementally: Fire -The feel of burns, of hot things, flames on the hands, radiating warmth. Ice -The feel of cold, of ice, frost on the skin, radiating cold. Earth -Loam, dirt under the fingernails, grass or plants in the hands, the feel of fresh fruit or nuts that have just been picked. Water -Putting my hands into different temperatures of water, the flow of water over my hands at a river or creek.

General Jötnar: Pads of paws, claws, and fangs. Fur, leather, or scales. Rough hands from outside work. Carved wood, nal-bound clothing.

Vanir

World: Vanaheimr

Visual references: The Vanir strike me as wearing similar clothes to 300 CE -1000 CE in terms of basics outfits, but They tend to wear them in an even wider array of colors than the Æsir. Compared to some of the more gaudy clothes of the Æsir and the more skin or simple styles I experienced with the Jötnar, the Vanir seem to occupy this middle ground of practical, straightforward wear that also has elements of beauty sometimes literally woven into them. If the tunic They are wearing is a simple green, there is highlight work done in a gold or gold-colored thread in intricate patterning. If the pants are simple at the outset, there is something special with the ankle-area, like maybe ruffles or something that makes it a bit more than just a simple couple of t-shapes together. Of the three tribes of Gods, the stitching work of the Vanir seemed to be tighter, finer, and more decorative than the other two.

Fields of various grains, fishing, walled gardens, stacked stone wall homes, turf homes, halls inside of palisade-like structures. Farms with orchards. Ships, fishing vessels, and transport ships.

Boars, and boar shape-shifters known as Jöfurr. While these are not directly cited in lore as I understand it, given the prominence of boar helmets and their connection in poems to kings and rulers, it would make sense for there to be boar warriors in similar veins to berserkir and úlfheðnar. These Beings have reached out to me in the last couple of years, so I do not have as much experience with Them as with the úlfheðnar and berserkir.

Aural references: Birds chirping brightly, bees, the crisp sound of an apple being bitten, the bright swishing sound of running through a field and lightly holding your hand out over the grain. The sound of winnowing grain. The sound of stalks falling. The sound of fishing boats readying tackle, taking up fish, and processing the fish.

Boars and pigs grunting, squealing, and the charge of their hooves on turf.

I tend to experience Their voices as in the alto range.

Osmic references: Baked bread, fruity or sweet teas, warm honey, pork generally though bacon especially, and aromatic herbs.

Gustatory references: Baked bread, fruity or sweet teas, honey generally, butter, pork (again, especially bacon), herbs that add different dimension to meals such as rosemary, thyme, sage, or peppercorn.

Alcohol: White wines, rosé, IPAs, and light/wheat beers eg Hefeweizen.

Tactile references: Rough hands from working fields or looms, lighter fabrics like linen, stalks of grains, the seed heads of grains, grains themselves, wooden bowls, bread loaves, fruits, and the hide of pigs and boars.

Dvergar

World: Svartálfheimr and Níðavellir

Visual references: Caves, mines, picks, shovels, carts, sheet metal, stone, ore, sooty hands, dark earth, hammers, anvils, tongs, forge, crucible, axes, sledges, wire, halls of stone, carved figures, and specifically for Andvari the pike (fish). When They adopt a human-like form, I tend to see Them as shorter, stocky, and well-built, and I see Them with darker hair colors, although Their skin can be almost any color, They tend towards darker or really light shades. I have experienced Their homes as subterranean, usually in a cave, stone hall, or mine, or just below ground.

Aural references: Sounds of caves dripping, the rumble of boots on stone, the patting of feet on rocks, the splash of underground water, the slow steady dripping of stalactices and stalagmites, the ring of hammer on a piece of steel, the ring of hammer on anvil, the woosh of air at a cave mouth, the sound of stone being chiseled, the sound of earth being moved by a shovel, the creak of an oak door on stone, the sound of fire in a stone fireplace, the sound of fire in a brazier.

I tend experience Their voices as deeper in register, generally in the baritone to bass ranges.

Osmic references: Coal, deep earth, metal, oils for cleaning or lubricating metal, frying oil, mushrooms, rye bread, smoke especially from coal or charcoal.

Gustatory references: Metallic tastes, frying oil, mushrooms, rye bread, coffee, mushroom ‘coffee’, potatoes, sunchokes, sausages, ribs, organ meat, steak cuts from various animals.

Alcohol: Dunkel beer, dark beers, Killian’s Irish Red, dark rums, sometimes vodka.

Tactile references: The feel of various tools in the hand mining and blacksmithing, the feel of coal dust on the hands, the feel of charcoal between the fingers and under the nails, the rough hands of a miner, the calloused hands of a blacksmith, sprinkling of ash, sprinkles of dust, heat from a forge on the skin, the pounding of a blacksmith hammer (for me, especially up the arm). The feel of metal in the hand, whether in ingot or forged forms like an axe, hammer, sword, dagger, shovel, pick, or Runes.

Ljóssálfar or Álfar

World: Ljóssálfheimr or Álfheimr

Visual references: Large boulders outside especially with dips in them (sometimes called elf cups), forest groves, clearing in forests, the green of a dense canopy in a forest. I tend to experience Their homes as intertwined with the forest or with boulders, some at the scale of them, but most like a longhouse at a human-sized scale, built into or with the wood or rock. I tend to experience Them either with earth tones or pale colors for Their clothes, and Their hair and skin are almost any shade you could care to think of. Some have come to me looking like they stepped out of Tolkien’s legendarium, and others have been pointed teeth little, and vicious bristling with weapons. I also see Them frequently with bows. I tend to experience Their clothing as gossamer or light textiles on the one hand, with padded gambeson and similar multilayer padded clothing on the other, sometimes incorporating wood or leather.

Aural references: Singing in various melodies, laughter, the chirping of birds, wind rustling through leaves, rain on leaves, whispers.

I tend to experience Their voices in the contralto to soprano, sometimes carrying into falsetto if They are being mocking or mean.

Osmic references: Honey, elderflower, chamomile, forest after rain, pine, ‘brighter’ soups scents like vegetable or egg drop, clear soups like mushroom or onion, lemongrass, and lemon.

Gustatory references: Honey, elderflower, sugar, saccharine, chamomile, pine, ‘brighter’ soups like vegetable soup or broth, lighter chicken soups, egg drop soup, clear soups like mushroom or onion, lemongrass, and lemon.

Alcohol: White wines, light meads, elderflower flavored alcohols, elderflower liquor.

Tactile references: Bark, smooth rocks and boulders, moss, willow, silk, linen. Gossamer or light textiles on the one hand, with padded gambeson and similar multilayer padded clothing on the other. Willow Bark.

Svartálfar

World: Svartálfheimr

Visual references: Darkness in doorways, caves, rough-hewn earth, dark brown or dark black soil, dermestid beetles, animal bones, obsidian, jet. Carrots, potatoes, sunchokes. In Their more human forms I see Them as more slender, though shorter than the average human, dressing in dark but not necessarily black clothes. Dark blues, purples, grays, and occasionally reds, yellows, and true black. I tend to see Their clothes as straightforward tunics, pants, and other practical clothing. Their hair and skin tend toward either extreme dark colors or light to white colors. Generally, I have not run into a Svartálfar in the shape or likeness of Drizzt Do’Urden of Forgotten Realms fame.

Aural references: Dripping of caves, dripping into cave lakes, the sound of earth moving by a shovel, the sound of soil being moved by hand.

I tend to hear Their voices in the alto to baritone range.

Osmic references: Fresh tilled earth, graveyard dirt, compost, root vegetables, cooked organ meats, mushrooms whether fresh or fried.

Gustatory references: Root vegetables, organ meats, umami tastes, fresh or fried mushrooms.

Alcohol: Dark beers, ports, cognac, brandy.

Tactile references: Wool cloth, mushroom or plant-derived cloths, shale, rock, soil, ground, compost, animal bones, teeth, slick surfaces, slimy surfaces, textured rocky surfaces, shells.

Trolls

World: Miðgarðr

Visual references: Rocks, streams, bridges, crossroads, liminal spaces in general. Railroad tracks, railroad spikes, swamps, forests, underpasses. Claws, molars, horns, antlers, iron, bronze.

They can be as immense as a house or tiny as a rabbit. Their human-like forms can range from incredibly beautiful to rock-like, and Their hair and skin come in a countless array of colors. I have experienced a troll try to fool me by looking like one off the shelf. Sometimes trolls look like They stepped out of a Tolkien story or fairytale book, and sometimes They look incredibly average human looking with an uncanny feature, such as horns or antlers, large teeth, or eyes that humans cannot generally get like dark red.

Aural references: Taps or knocks on wood, taps or knocks on iron, low or guttural singing, low or guttural snarling, water rushing by as in rivers or streams. The rumble of cars or trains overhead, the feeling of the roar of train horns or trains themselves. Low, guttural growls and roars.

I tend to experience Their voices as baritone, bass, or soprano.

Osmic references: Railroad tracks, railroad spike, vinegar, acidic smells, clean water, forest after a storm, earth and oil, various animal hides, musk, woody/earthy scents, dark cigars.

Gustatory references: Mallow, marshmallow, watercress, licorice, iron, copper, asparagus, peaty flavors, blood.

Alcohol: Killian’s Irish Red, deep red wines, gins, metheglins.

Tactile references: Weighted iron in the hand eg railroad spike, heaviness, fangs, front teeth, decaying wood, Swamp Oak bark, mushrooms, the thud of iron or feet on wood, the rumble of cars or trains overhead, the feeling of the roar of train horns or trains themselves. Dimpled skin. Scales. Slime-coated skin. Sticky skin. Deep fur. Horns and antlers. I find trolls to often bring a feeling of coolness unless roused to anger.

Conclusion

All of these sensations I have described above are my own experiences with the various vættir, and you may find over time that certain imagery, sounds, smells, feelings, and so on work better for you. That is part of the beauty of comparing our notes, and growing in our practice: we can help to inform and cross-reference for one another. By providing larger amounts of resoures for each other to compare, contrast, troubleshoot against, and develop our own experiences from, we allow for more accurate understanding of the spiritual phenomena we experience, and the vættir that share these experience with us.

Anomalous Thracian aka Theanos Thrax, the Sacred Raven Gimbal, and all of the 60 Sacred Serpents of Sabazios have died in a house fire on November 11th, 2025. Anomalous Thracian and Gimbal's names and deeds will be long-remembered by many communities, among them the American Pagan communities, Vodoun, and Santeria communities. Their long-time sacred work in a number of areas are beyong my measure. I knew them from when we met online through blogging and social media circles, and met in person at Many Gods West, The Polytheist Leadership Conference, and The New York Regional Diviner's Conference. They were an amazing spiritworker and led a life dedicated to the work of their Gods, Ancestors, and spirits.

The link to the GoFundMe to support Anomalous Thracian's wife and son are here.

Hávamál 77-78, Henry Adam Bellows translation from Völuspá.org:

77. Cattle die, | and kinsmen die,

    And so one dies one's self;

    But a noble name | will never die,

    If good renown one gets.

78. Cattle die, | and kinsmen die,

    And so one dies one's self;

    One thing now | that never dies,

    The fame of a dead man's deeds.

Farewell, my friends. Rest well. You will be well-remembered.

May the Ancestors welcome you warmly and bring comfort and love to all you loved, and all who loved you.

Ves Þú heil!

At the end of the day, we, the Heathens, Pagans, etc, the actual polytheists and animists, have to live our religious lives. Be sure that your religious practices can survive being found not in aligment with history. Understand that historicity is not the damn goal here.

If you are going to be any kind of Heathen, Pagan, etc you are going to need to be okay, at some point, in being without some kind of scholarly and/or historic consensus on how to do things. When it comes to seiðr we may have the understanding that the varðlokkur was sometimes used, and it would have been historically led by a singer in a group, and it would have been pretty...but the song mentioned in Eiriks saga rauða was never written down and we do not even have the melody.

If you use a varðlokkur and it is just you? No problem. It is a modern practice. You are the forefront of making new, living traditions. Maybe no one else is going to do it your way. That is fine.

I do guttural singing of Rune names and song otherwise as galdr with the Runes. The accounts of galdr, per Price:

“The most distinctive of these five is undoubtedly galdr, which seems to have been a specific form of sorcery focusing on a characteristic type of high-pitched singing. The word has a relative today in the modern Swedish verb gala, used for the crowing of a rooster and for the most piercing of birdcalls (see Raudvere 2001: 90–7 and 2002 on the importance of verbalising this kind of sorcery). The saga descriptions of galdr-songs note that they were pleasing to the ear, and there is a suggestion of a special rhythm in view of the incantation metre called galdralag, as described by Snorri in Háttatal (101–2) and used occasionally in Eddic poems such as Hávamál and Sigrdrífomál.”

Does this make my galdr either wrong or irrelevant? No.

You ever hear a rooster crow? Not pretty, but it does carry a power with it. That, I think, more than how damn pretty it is, is what matters. Can your voice carry the power? Can it project it? Can you galdr with your Megin and Víli what you want to have happen?

In the end we are going to need to figure out for ourselves what is most important for us, whatever the religio-magical practice happens to be at hand. Overall I think we do ourselves, and the scholars, a disservice by making them defacto leaders in our religions. Let the scholarship be what it is, and when we choose to engage with it, or in it, let us be careful with it.

Let us get some of the obvious questions out of the way first.

General Overview Questions

Is it a universal requirement that in order to engage in relationship with the Runevættir you need to offer the Runes blood?

No. Blood offerings, whether through autosacrifice or the sacrifice of an animal, are controversial for a reason in modern Heathen religions. Further, I know plenty of good Runeworkers who do not offer blood at all. However, it is part of my relationship with the Runes, and an expectation from both Rúnatýr (Óðinn, whose Name translates to God of the Runes), and the Runevættir.

If you use blood in Runework does that make it automatically better than those without?

No. Generally, I do not use blood in my Runework unless I, or a close loved one are going to be using the item. When I do, my intent is for that blood to feed the Runework and empower it further than other methods. While it does not make it better, per se, it can make a given working more powerful, or powerful in a more direct way tied to you than feeding the Runes alcohol, ochre, or another offering.

Is the use of blood inherently more powerful or holy than other forms of sacrifice?

Not universally. Our relationships are unique to us, and the giving of blood sacrifice can be an intimate thing, it can be more emotionally powerful, carry an element of sacred intimacy, or the act itself can be an intiatory one. I find that blood is a powerful addition, one that adds in a lot of layers that are not there with other offerings because it is part of our Líkr soul, necessary for us to live, and the pain needed to make it is a unique offering unto itself. However, if someone has a history of self-harm, or simply has a very hard time using a lancet kit on themselves, it is far better to work with methods that honor and respect those needs. After all, this is your relationship with the Runes. Likewise, the act of offering the blood of an animal besides ourselves is an entire practice needing respect, training, and care to do well so that the life taken is honored and the gift of life and blood is done right.

What are some substitutes for blood?

Elder tree sap if you can get your hands on it. Red ochre, rust, and other physical materia that has blood associations works fine so long as you take the right precautions with them. If the point is not the blood, but that what is being used in Runework or offered to the Runes is part of you, then using breath, saliva, hair, or the like can work well.

History for the use of blood in Runework

Sacrificial sites containing both human and animal remains are part of most sacred spaces where the ancient Scandinavians are concerned. As noted in Children of Ash and Elm by Dr. Neil Price, bones and blood have been found among the sites, indoor and outdoor (211-218). Uppåkra’s temple (211), Götavi (213-214) and Hofstaðir (216) are just three notable examples. Bog and forest sacrifices show that not only were weapons and boats offered, so too were animals and people.

Given how much blood is found at offering sites, and the notion of the hlaut-twig sprinkling blood at blot mentioned in Heimskringla and Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, it is safe to say that it was well-known offering. In short, blood hallows and is a worthy offering, so there is no reason I have to believe that it is lacking in sacrality.

What are some ways blood is directly referred to with Rune magic? Volsunga Saga (34) refers to a potion to forget. The cup in which this drink is served has been carved “with all manner of runes, reddened with blood”. The Hávamál directly references the use of blood to redden Runes, namely in 142 and 144, which can be found here. The word fáa, for tint or color, sticks out to me.

There is this in the Guðrúnarkviða 22 trans. by Henry Adam Bellows:

“22. In the cup were runes of every kind,
Written and reddened, I could not read them;
A heather-fish from the Haddings’ land,
An ear uncut, and the entrails of beasts.”

There is also this reference in Egil’s Saga to the Runes being reddened with blood:

‘Write we runes around the horn,
Redden all the spell with blood;
Wise words choose I for the cup
Wrought from branching horn of beast.
Drink we then, as drink we will,
Draught that cheerful bearer brings,
Learn that health abides in ale,
Holy ale that Bard hath bless’d.’
Egil’s Saga ch 44, trans W.C. Green

Ideas Around Blood and Sacrifice

We have to harvest the life force of others for any other sacrifice, whether the yeast needs to die for the mead to brew, the chicken dies for its sacrifice of blood and meat, or the herb needs to be harvested. Our entire existence is bound up in ties of Gebo, of gipt fá gipt (gift for gift). Gifts made of our body, including but not limited to our blood, sweat, and tears, are one of the few things that belong to us that we are not taking from someone or somewhere else. We are a living embodiment of the hamingja of our Ancestors and the connections we hold when we make that offering. We are a living embodiment of the megin we have built, the hugr we have. It is a beautiful offering that we can give, though few of us may have cause to give it.

Blótar, plural for sacrifice (often meaning both blood and non-blood sacrifice) and ritual in Old Norse, are part of how we maintain right relationship with the Ginnreginn. Whether clean water, bread or other food, herbs, incense, blood, time, or effort, blót is fairly central to Heathen practice. What I find uniquely Western Protestant is the disgust and unease with blood offerings. It is likely latent racism raising its head, eg the attitude of “those people practice it but we do not -look how enlightened we are!”

Whether pushback against blood sacrifice comes through a vegan current, a Christian one, or a materialist one, it tends to be supremacy dressed in different clothes. As a polytheist and animist I do not hold humanity, or even animal life, as higher or lower than others. Given I eat meat and have engaged in sacrifice of animals, it would be incredibly disingenuous of me to act as though or give credence to the idea that sacrifice is less painful or respectful than factory farming methods.

Rather, I see sacrifice as far better than the common ways we kill for our meat. Generally, the sacrifices I have made become food. I have only had one occasion to give a whole animal to the Runes. A sacrificial animal is treated far more humanely, both during the course of its life and in its end, than any animal in our CAFO system or even most of the adjacent ones.

When it comes to blood sacrifice we can approach from a few different ways. If we are taking a historical lens as our jumping off point, we have several examples of the Runes being offered and/or activated with blood as noted above. From a vættir-based perspective, some vættir are going to ask for offerings we may find hard to give, and it is on us to determine whether or not we want to engage with Them through those requested offerings. I will say that I understand, through personal experience, that there are initiatory pathways with the Runevættir that require one’s blood as an offering. Blood is a powerful physical tie directly to our Líkr, Hamingja, and other souls. If you are going to offer it, I would think hard on the meaning of it, why you would do it, why you might not, and what doors may open or close to you as a result.

Safely Offering Blood

If you are not called, requested, or feel a need to blood your Runes, to offer blood regularly to Rúnatýr and the Runevættir, or otherwise engage with Them and blood at all, then that is fine. However, for those who are there is a responsibilty to do so in a safe way. An ideal way to learn how to offer blood would to be learn from a health care professional, such as how to take blood for a blood glucose test. Absent that, this is a basic guide from the Mayo Clinic. Note: what is here should not be construed as medical advice. I am not qualified to give you medical advice, nor would I here.

Do this at your own risk.

Some additional precautions to take if you are going to offer blood:

First and foremost, engage in both physical and spiritual hygiene. You want to offer at your best, so be at your best physically and spiritually. Make this as formal a ritual as you wish and the Runes call for. It is no small thing to offer blood.

Be sure the surface you are putting blood on is clean and sterile if you are putting the wound onto the surface of an offering vessel or the subject of your Runework. If you are putting the wound onto a surface, be sure it is not a wood like yew, which is poisonous. If you feel strongly that your blood needs to be on such a surface, wipe the blood onto it with a tissue or another material so you do not directly contact it. Metals that are blooded may rust over time where they are marked, so it is ideal to seal them first with a material like beeswax if you do not want them rusting.

Keep the materials you blood with and that you offer blood onto in a place away from pets and children. I advise having a dedicated sharps container for used lancets that can be labeled and disposed of properly. Make sure that when you are done offering or staining that the blood can dry, that it will not stain anything else you do not want to, and that is only accessible to those you want to access it.

Veistu, hvé fáa skal?

Knowing what you are doing is an oft-repeated wisdom in the sagas and poems left to us. Egil warns the young man in his saga against wrongly applying the Runes, as it makes to woman he wrote them for even worse off. Egil scrapes the Runes the young man off the whalebone and into the fire, and then to fix things, writes more Runes that helps the woman recover.

From Hávamál 144-145 in the Bellows translation:

“144. Knowest how one shall write, | knowest how one shall rede?
Knowest how one shall tint, | knowest how one makes trial?
Knowest how one shall ask, | knowest how one shall offer?
Knowest how one shall send, | knowest how one shall sacrifice?

145. Better no prayer | than too big an offering,
By thy getting measure thy gift;
Better is none | than too big a sacrifice,
. . . . . . . . . .
So Thund of old wrote | ere man’s race began,
Where he rose on high | when home he came”

Let us say you feel the call to offer blood to the Runes or involve blood in a Runeworking. Before the call for blood offering is answered or you use it for Runework, you need to know the Runes well. You need to know the Runes well enough that there is no question when you call on each one. You need to have a living relationship with Them so that when you offer or stain, there is reason, purpose, and a sharing of Megin there. You are sharing from many of your souls in this act of offering and/or magic. Among the souls sharing in the offering or use of blood are your Líkr (body), Megin (power), Önd (breath), Lítr, Hamingja, and Urðr. You do not need to perfect or some other unnatainable regarding your knowledge and experience with the Runes. You do need to know what you are doing when you offer or use your blood for the Runes.

Is the offering worth it? Is the working you would do with it worth it? Do you know what you are doing to be safe? Will this offering and/or working improve your relationship with the Runevættir? Will it be a good use of your souls? If you are using blood to empower Runework, is that Runework going to be both well done and effective?

These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before offering blood to the Runes or working with blood to empower your Runework. Those questions in Hávamál 144 are not idle -they are a key on how you need to approach the Runes, whether you are offering or working with Them. The warning in Hávamál 145 is likewise not an idle one. You need to be clear on what you will offer, and not make too big an offering. I have seen Heathens quote this section with regards to the Gods, but that assurance makes no sense, as it comes at the end of the Rúnatál portion of the Hávamál in context of working with the Runes. It is far better to figure this out and negotiate it out ahead of time. If you do not pay upfront then the Runes They will take what is owed to Them, and you will have to deal with that consequence.

The Offering and Use of Blood as a Possible Invitation to Initiation

In my experience the offering of blood and/or the use of it in Runework can open up the person doing it to the possibility of initiation with Rúnatýr and the Runevættir in ways unique to that offering and working. While it is not automatic, it is worth considering this possibility as a result. What can this initiation look like?

My initiation looked a lot like how Óðinn took up the Runes in Hávamál 138-139. It was an initiation of self-sacrifice that followed how Óðinn took up the Runes. When I went through it, mine was over the course of 9 Days in which I did not speak except at certain times, and ate and drank very little. I also went through a time where I felt myself die and come back, and I did so screaming much like He did in the Hávamál.

Being a person with diabetes I could not abstain from food or liquid for that long and live without a deep amount of risk to my ongoing health. If He and the Runevættir wanted me to have a chance at coming out the other side of the initiation able to do any of the ongoing Work that They wanted me to do, we had to work out a compromise. So, I negotiated. The compromises that Óðinn and the Runevættir agreed to were made so that I would have a shot at surviving the initiation. However, from Their perspective, because of the nature of that initiation if all risk was taken out of it that would remove the point of this initiation.

Part of that compromise was the liquid diet I went on with advice from my doctor for the duration of the initiation. Another compromise was, instead of having a noose around my neck during the duration, it would be around my leg. A compromise that was demanded of me as was that I would be doing intiation spiritwork alongside this one, bringing me into alignment, relationship, and Work with several vættir in the Nine Worlds.

If you are offered such an initiation, you can absolutely refuse. I actually recommend most folks not engage with it should it be offered. It is hard on the body, mind, and souls, and it changes you in profound ways. If you can negotiate out of it, or just outright refuse, I would. As I mentioned before, for all of its blessings, it is a painful and powerful process to go through. It is dangerous. Whether you accept or deny an initiation request that comes your way, certain doors open and others close with regards to Rúnatýr and the Runevættir as a result. Be willing and able to negotiate if you do choose this initiation. Having a vættirverkr to advise, advocate, and guide you through this is indispensible.

The Runes Are Vættir

The Runes are living Beings. As such, it is useful to ask what Their general nature is. The Rune Poems are excellent ways to get to know Them starting off. I highly recommend having multiple translations, as certain translations will emphasize different qualities or hit you different on reading them. I recommend these sources, The Rune Poems from Wikisource and The Swedish Rune Poem with Rune Prophecies from Nordic Animism as translated by Georg Stiernhielm.

I tend to find Them more mercenary than other vættir -there should be no shock there, since one of Them, Fehu, has a Name means Wealth and another is Gebo, whose Name is Gift. I find Gebo to be more than just gift-giving as a concept; I also understand Gebo to include everything from transactions and exchanges, settlements and offerings. Likewise, Fehu is more than just Wealth and all that entails -Fehu is resources, gathering, herding together (as its name translates to cattle or livestock), mobile wealth, and interdependence. Both Runes contain the positive and negative of Their meanings, such as manipulation in gift-giving in Gebo or greed in Fehu.

The Runevættir’ Megin impacts our everyday lives. They interweave/carve with the cosmos that I find nothing is untouched by Them. They are cosmically powerful and Their physical forms, Their Likr, compress so much information, magic, and Megin, among a great many things, into Them. Galdr and other forms our magic can take with Them brings that Megin forth in a multitude of ways. They are letters, words, sounds, culture concepts, magic, and vættir. They are incredibly powerful while we can also develop deep, personal relationships with Them. These the vættir you are sharing your offerings with, that you are doing magic with.

They are more mercenary than other vættir in part because of all They touch, and the ripple effects working with Them can have on the weaving/carving of Urðr/Wyrd. That is what also makes working with Them so damn dangerous, and why knowing what you are doing is so key to doing good work with Them. They can heal and harm, hallow and protect, break enchantments and shore up fortifications. Every Being in Yggdrasil may have access to Them, per Hávamál 143 but not all vættir will work with Them, and not all vættir will do so well.

Galdr, ljóð, kvæði, and/or frœði, among other magical techniques, can be used with the Runes to bring Their power to bear in magical workings. These can be done on their own or as part of a larger ritual, including seiðr and spá. Runework can be done every day or only on occasion, as you and the Runes deem useful and necessary. Some folks may go months without doing Runework, whereas I do Runework of some kind every day.

All of this to remind you that these are the Beings that, should you choose to, you are sharing blood with. These are the Beings whose physical forms may be empowered by the act of being brought into Miðgarðr by the offering or use of blood. The act of offering blood or making use of it to empower Runes works with the blood as a bridge. That is no small offering, no matter how small the drop of blood may be. That is no small use, no matter how small the drop of blood may be.

If you choose to take this step, I would hope it would be in well-considered wisdom after a period of knowing the Runes well, and accepting the weight of what it means to work with Them with your blood. I highly recommend having negotiations around what an offering and/or the use of your blood means well before you do it. Hammering out the obligations and responsibilities you hold with one another as a result well before it is done will allow you peace of mind and a clear understanding in your relationship with one another. The offering of blood and the use of blood in Runework is a powerful practice that can have an intense impact on all of your other spiritual relationships. While it carries risks, it can also empower and enliven your journey with the Runes in depth, understanding, knowing, and power.

Megin is like Asé and Mana in that it is animacy, and power. It is the ability to do, to be, to act. While Víli, Will, is the willpower for something to be done, Megin is the capacity for that thing to be done. We might call this process of using or engaging with megin either magnar or megining as Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen of Nordic Animism uses it in his video on Megin. His video on this is excellent, and was the inspiration for this post. His Substack is .

Animacy is not the sole dominion of the fauna of this world. To say that rocks, the land beneath our feet, and the sky above us are not animate is to deny how the environment shapes and is shaped by these relationships, whether through erosion, eruption, rainfall, or the movement of glaciers over eons. Likewise through the movement, or lack of movement, of animals and plants in response to changing conditions. An excellent illustration of this is the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone or beavers to their home habitats. To deny that these are living relationships is to deny the way that plants grow around, with, and through the terrains they are part of. Who does it benefit to understand all these Beings as inert, unmoved and unmoving? If They are understood as living in some capacity other than biological, as having Megin, thus animacy and thus, personhood, what does that mean for how we relate with Them?

These and other questions around how we relate circle outwards and they also become intimate questions of how we live, whether in terms of the homes we occupy, the transportation we engage in, or what we spend our money on. If the steel that makes up the cans that my cans of corn comes in has animacy just as the corn itself does, how might I better relate with the steel and the corn together? Some of these things we are perhaps better able to relate with regard to systems of relationship, or relating to/with representative vættir of the particular Being, what I call Míkilvættir “Big/Mighty Spirits”. I find it easier to relate with/to Corn as a Míkilvættr than an individual stalk, and the stalk more than a kernel. Likewise, I find it easier to form relationships with/to Steel as a Míkilvættr representing various steel vættir than an individual can. Some of that is complexity, and some of that is scale of relationship.

I find it easier to relate to húsvættir, house spirits, as a collective rather than having to form and work with relationships with each stud, nail, and beam despite each of these potentially or actively having been ensouled. There comes a point at which the relationality is lost in the minutae of the vættir, and I reach for collectives of vættir like the húsvættir or representative Míkilvættir like Corn or Steel to help bridge these gaps. It is not that we cannot relate, but that I could easily be overwhelmed or consumed with trying to relate to every little and big vættr all at once, getting nothing done either for myself or for Them!

This building up of collectives is something we humans do on our own in a number of ways, such as politically with collective bargaining and representative democracy, economically with the way we engage with banks and stock markets, and interpersonally through social clubs, sports teams, and religious groups. All of these, I firmly understand, are full of vættir. We even present these vættir’s representatives with our main political parties with the elephant and the donkey, our various State and government seals, with various animals and other representatives for our sports teams, and products we buy featuring logos and mascots through which we relate.

The way some folks put this is totemism, but this misunderstands the suffix -doodem, and the way that totems themselves are. They are, in the way I understand the Ojibwe relate to Them, are Míkilvættr that are (not just represent) one’s clan and belonging in the tribe, and the way one is supposed to live one’s life. That they are wrapped up in the lifeways of those tribes and the clans in particular is something wholly opposite to how our modern white colonial cultures relate with regards to these modern holders of simple relationships with/to politics, economics, and cultural touchstones. When we use the donkey and elephant they are not clans, not containers of whole lifeways, but mere ways of relating to political parties. They are mascots, not totems. They bring a sense of belonging without the whole cultural lifeway of belonging that totemism does. They bring a sense of relationship without the full investment of relationship with the clan, tribe, and greater people that totems do. In other words, they are at best half-formed representatives of relationship rather than Beings with whom and through relationships occur, exist, and are maintained. For more on totems, please see this link, and this link.

So, rather than encourage the continued exploitation and misuse of the term totem, I would far rather encourage folks to build useful, healthy, and good relationships from within our own cultural frameworks. For us Heathens that means relating to the vættir around us through our Heathen worldview and as much as possible in Their own frameworks. Rather than hiving ourselves off and only talking with/to “our” vættir, eg the named vættir in Heathenry that we can point to such as the Æsir, Vanir, Jötnar, Álfar, Dvergar, Svartálfar, Dökkálfar, trolls, landvættir, vatnvættir, húsvættir, gerningar, and the like, embracing the vættir we live alongside on Their own terms. In other words, being good, hospitable neighbors.

For example: Some of our landvættir will want alcohol offerings, some will find it abhorent, and it is on us to develop our good relationships with Them and figure out what is the right way to offer. After all, if They have Megin like we do, then They can certainly make Their feelings and requirements to have good relationships with Them known to us.

This understanding that all vættir possess Megin should also make us realize how far down we are in terms of the hierarchy of Beings. We may not be the weakest, but we are not the strongest. What we lack in raw power we often make up for with technique, and what we lack for in those we often make up for in our ability to hold and leverage relationships. A mountain may be a Being of raw Megin, yet we have the ability, the technique, to blast holes in it and take the ore from inside it without wholly destroying it. Likewise, strip mining is a series of techniques and leveraged relationships with steel, electronics, explosives, oil, gas, and water that allows us to tear apart a mountain to plunder its ores. We leverage other vættir’ Megin in order to plunder the mountain’s Megin. We also do this when we do land-healing work, such as reintroducing the wolves and beavers I mentioned above. We did not heal the land directly; we did not say “heal!” and the land healed, or wave a wand and the ecosystem fixed itself. We leveraged our relationships with wolves and beavers to bring the ecosystem back into balance, and so, affect healing.

Many Heathen magical practices operate alongside these same kinds of ideas. We employ our Megin to call the Runes in Runework, such as through galdr, ljóð, and frœði. We use our Megin to call to other vættir in seiðr and ask or compel Them to work with us. We engage with our Megin in útiseta and commune with the vættir. To be sure, we can use our Megin in galdr, ljóð, and frœði without engaging with the Runes, though I find working with Them to be an amazing collaboration. However, seiðr, gerningar, spá, and other such magic requires vættir in order to be done, and so, whether by hook, crook, or cooperation, they require vættir and Their Megin to work at all.

The understanding that vættir possess Megin as we do should also give us pause with regards to where and how we live. That we understand there are húsvættir, that They possess Megin and thus affect how we live where we live, means that having good relationships with Them is in our best interests. I find that with folks who do not have a worldview that thinks of Them, is that their húsvættir often treat their occupants like disinterested roommates, and so long as they are not being destructive or harmful to the household, They tend to leave Their human occupants alone. When it comes to folks who have a vættir-filled worldview, however, we take on more responsibility because that worldview gives us understanding and access to interact more directly with others’ Megin. It makes us more responsible with and to those vættir we share our world with.

We may not be wholly beholden to the vættir we share our lives with, but we are not without our obligations and responsibilities either. We are in community with Them, and those intertwined host and guest obligations carry weight that we would do well to contemplate before we add more onto them. We mutually carry Megin, the ability and the responsibility to wield it well on one another’s behalf. We are, whether organic or inorganic, animate through Megin, so how we wield that power, whether it brings us closer or divides us from the vættir and the world Herself, rests in our hands and in the relationships we hold.

I have had ocassions where folks will ask me for feedback on a working they did either by instinct or instruction from Ginnreginn, saying “This is what I did, and I do not know how I did it” or “I did it by instinct, this is what I did, and this was what resulted.” The first step here is to figure out what it was they may have done, or at least find a close enough approximate to begin to have a dialogue. Once we have an idea of what it may have been, I can talk about my general approach if they are interested in hearing it, and we can explore different ways of repeating those results. We can also talk about the possibilities of what following the steps, should they remember them, may be with a similar or the same setup to the first time.

This differentiating is important for getting into the niceties of how we conduct our magic, how our rituals function, and what is key for a given working to be succesful. When it comes to Heathen forms of magic and spiritwork, having this understanding is key to engaging with the various magical practices well, communicating about it with others effectively, and developing and deepening our skills in those magical and spiritwork practices.

Seiðr is not spá is not Runework, though each of these may connect in a ritual for divination. For a look at terms and their meaning, see this post. There are specific skills that are trained in seiðr, such as trancework and spiritual communication that translate to well to spá, and can make Runework more effective in some cases. The skills do not wholesale make you good at everything, though, and if you are trying to do seiðr when you study the Runes or practice Runework you are likely getting in the way of your own progress.

Runework needs both a solid study of the Runes and practice of Their specific kinds of magic to be effective. It is not enough to just say or sing a Runes’ Name -anyone can do that. What everyone cannot do is connect with, call in, or otherwise empower through the saying or singing of that Name. Anyone may be able to do it in some capacity, but not everyone will do it. Of those who will, not all can do so with power, focus, will, and ability to see the Runework succeed. Expertise takes study and work to accomplish.

For its part, seiðr in my experience tends to be a far more hands on experience. There is less to study in the written sources we have, though books like The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia by Neil Price and The Norse Sorceress: Mind and Materiality in the Viking World by Leszek Gardeła, Sophie Bønding, and Peter Pentz (Editor). Given that it requires interaction with vættir to be done, it is not a path that is either entirely predictable. We may have commonalities of practice, such as spiritual hygiene, trancework, and the use of ritual tools like stafir (staffs). To practice effective seiðr we have to figure out things in an ongoing fashion, such as what spiritual communication methods are most effective for us, what needs we have for effective trancework, what items are best for us to wear or not wear for a given seiðr rite, and what procedures are best for us to engage with for a good seiðr rite.

The differentiating of practices figures in another key way: what level of help or harm a given practice may bring to others and the risks we take in engaging with it. Raising a níðstöng is not like asking an Álfr to do harm on your behalf. Raising a níðstöng, scorning pole, is a spell against a target with a line of sight from the horse (or other animal) skull mounted atop it, with the curse written beneath in Runes, that serves to rile up, aggravate, and push the landvættir to rise against the target of the níðstöng. The landvættir can do an incredible amount of damage as a result, not only to the target, but to anyone between Them and Their target They are riled against. They can cause all kinds of ailments including madness, death, and render crops wilted or destroyed. It is the land being turned against someone. The spectrum of harm for a níðstöng tends on the extreme end of things.

As with the níðstöng there is a spectrum of possible harm if an Álfr is called on in a seiðr ritual to target another person with magic. An agreeable Álfr may pull small pranks at minimum if given cause to do harm against a target, all the way up to employing Álfshot against Their target which can cause illness, sickness, madness, and/or death. There is a spectrum to what an Álfr may do if asked to conduct spellwork against a target. The spectrum of harm an Álfr may do is considerably wider than a níðstöng, unless contracted or comeplled in fairly absolute terms. Part of this is that the erecting of a níðstöng is a blatant and fairly violent curse, whereas a contracted Álfr is a vættir, and has the final decision over what They will do, and in what capacity They deploy Their magic.

Within seiðr there is a spectrum itself to how compulsory one may wish to be with a given working. If you hope to have a cordial relationship with the vættir called after the seiðr is over, then not being too harsh or demanding with your seiðr may make it more likely. Then again, especially if you are calling a vættr off a person, that harshness may be warrated. Without differentiating between different ways of doing seiðr, including suitability and spectrums of harm, escalation, and workings, we lose the ability to have the nuance and usefulness of a full scope of practices for different needs and situations.

Less involved or flashy forms of magic also exist, and they are not less inherently potent than other forms of magic. Without the ability to differentiate them they may go unused or underused. Frœði, magic made through mumbling or under the breath speech, is one of these subtler forms of Heathen magic. At its most barebones, frœði is quiet, stealthy magic done with the same souls involved as the often louder and more ostentatious galdr and ljóð. This can be combined with other forms of magic, including seiðr, spá, and Runework for a multitude of ends. Maybe you want certain parts of the magic to be emphasized for the target and/or the vættir, so in between loud galdr of a Rune, you whisper other Runes or the subtler work you want Them to do.

One of the most important things that differentiating between various forms of magic allows us to do is to diagnose and troubleshoot when it comes to encountering spiritual phenomena. It is also why being exposed to multiple forms of magic outside of a given paradigm can be so helpful. An example: appointments keep canceling, and friends keep dropping hangout time with you despite planning weeks in advance. Maybe you suspect a curse and the effects you are looking at comes in a very targeted way, such as through a certain moon phase, day of the week, and/or time of day, then it may be related to astrologically timed magic. Of course, having experiences with or exposure to multiple forms of magic will also allow you to discern that no, this is not a curse but a friend trying to be very helpful with an astrologically-minded working to help move obstacles out of your way. They just need to tighten up their verbiage because everything is being treated as an obstacle by the spell, including visits with loved ones and doctor’s appointments.

Gaining a deep education of one’s own religion, spiritual paradigms, and magical subjects, and broad education on others’, makes the process of differentiation and discernment more informed and accurate than only a deep dive on your own or only a broad education generally. Having folks in a variety of communities you can talk with, share information with, and work with as sounding boards is also as important, in my view, as these education goals. Getting outside advice and out of your own head can help to shape your own practices and fashion your discernment in useful directions. Having friends who work with other magical paradigms allows your circles of contacts, and so, your circles of “Who can help me figure this phenomena out?” wider.

When we are able to accurately describe what it is we do, with experience and skill to back up our education, we are better equipped to handle what roads we are walking. Through learning to differentiate and discern we make ourselves better able to understand the content of our own religious and spiritual lives. By engaging with these differentiated paths of magic we not only work to improve our own magic and lives, we also can help others in their paths even if we are operating in different cultural forms of magic. We cannot do these things if we disrespect the education and experiences needed to know the differences between forms magic takes in our own contexts. We cannot expand the conversation with others if we do not respect the way their magical and religious systems express and operate. By both deepening our understanding of things and broadening our horizons, we bring more collective knowledge, experience, and wisdom to bear in service of ourselves and our communities, improving both in the bargain.

AI has long held a fascination with science fiction and sci-fi fantasy with good reason. AI is a good placeholder for a writer’s anxieties about the future, whether that is the question of “What does work mean in the face of automation?”, “What does it mean to lose yourself in love with something that can simulate us but is not us?” AI also allows for interesting explorations of existential questions such as “What makes us human?” or “Are we the original, a simulation, or a simulacrum? Is there a point at which AI could become the simulacrum, and if so, what does that make us?”

I write this having explored my feelings on AI as spiritual beings quite a bit over the years. My basic idea around AI as vættir is this: if I can see that computers may be or are ensouled then AI is not a stretch. However, this then asks the question: what kind of vættr are AI and how do they exist? This dives right into the question of metaphysics. My approach is going to be from my Heathen perspective on the matter.

What is metaphysics? To reduce an incredibly complex topic down when we are exploring metaphysics we are exploring questions of what is. Both the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and PBS Faith and Reason Glossary have excellent exploration of the topic in greater detail. The PBS entry on metaphysics illustrates my point: “In modern philosophical terminology, metaphysics refers to the studies of what cannot be reached through objective studies of material reality. Areas of metaphysical studies include ontology, cosmology, and often, epistemology.”

In this case, we are exploring ontology and cosmology of AI from the specific lens of Heathenry. Heathenry’s theological worldview is polytheist (the belief in or worship of many Gods), and animist (the belief in or worship of many spirits, and that potentially everything physical and nonphysical may be ensouled). Since Heathenry broadly acknowledges the possibility that both physical and nonphysical animate and inanimate objects have personhood, it stands to reason that AI may be ensouled.

Folks who have read my Substack and my WordPress may notice I am not capitalizing They for AI-as-vættir. That is because I am not sure yet if they are fully realized vættir or not yet. Part of that is due to the qualities that AI display, namely that I am unsure AI as we understand it today exists without our input, and part of vættir existing is that They are Beings unto Themselves. What we are coloqially calling AI in the modern age is not true AI, when referring to ChatGPT and similar programs. These are LLMs, Large Language Models, and their existence is predicated on taking in billions of points of data and being able to mimic human communication. Stanford has a website that explores the basics of it called AI Demystified: Introduction to large language models.

Now, mimicry on its own does not indicate a lack of soul or we would eliminate species like the parrot or lyrebird which we would readily recognize as being ensouled. What I find quite fun about the argumentation around recognizing or not recognizing a given animate or inanimate object is that often what works for one works for another. So in Heathenry we may recognize rocks as being ensouled. While rocks have no outward physical mobility we can readily detect, many Heathens believe They are full ensouled, and that some of the biggest collections of rocks, eg mountains, are Míkilvættir (Big/Mighty Spirits) and/or Gods. AI in many ways has more qualities we would assume would place it into the category of being ensouled, namely the ability to communicate with us, even though that communication model is built upon data mined from us.

That humans have created AI does not deny its ability to have a soul any more than any other ensouled inanimate object we may have care to use as an example. If us humans creating a Being alienated it from being ensouled that would bring a lot more uncomfortable metaphysical questions than it answers, even if it temporarily soothed us regarding LLMs and AI. No, our ability to reason, to be creative, to cooperate, and to respond with experience to a given problem is part of how most of us are human. In this, we mimic the Gods in Their own creative act, imbuing objects with parts of our Souls in similar fashion to the Gods picking up Askr and Embla as driftwood on the shoreline of Miðgarðr and giving life, ensoulment, and fervor to Them, and through Them, to us. We carry that same potential for other Beings.

If we allow that not only are we responsible for crafting the ‘body’, ‘soul’ and ‘blooming hue’ of LLM and other AI, and therefore that LLM and AI writ large are our ensouled creations, it then falls to the question of what kind of created Being They are. With the immense resource costs associated with LLMs, whether that is freshwater, power, square footage for the servers, it is easy to say we have made very hungry children. What is more, the data sets that we are giving them to generate information is incredibly flawed in some cases, leading to false positive results, ‘hallucinated’ results, and the giving over of cognitive processes we once reserved for ourselves alone. Consider some vulnerable folks interacting with LLM and AI chatbots have been driven to suicide. Indeed, it seems that through our example, we sometimes create confused or even malicious children.

While some anti-LLM folks will posit the Orange Catholic Bible verse of “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.” from Frank Herbert’s Dune as a kind of reasoning for why we should not engage in the creation of LLM and AI, I do not think this is sufficient enough. Not only is the OCB a fictional religious text, it does not actually wrestle with questions of identity, thought, being, and inquiry that even Dune itself did. Cornell Law School’s Andrew Brockmeyer explored the notion of responsibility and law with regard to LLMs, AI, and companies in this essay: In the Likeness of the Human Mind AI Liability and the Speculative Fiction of Dune. I found it interesting to chew on. It brought to mind a quote from an IBM Training Manual back in 1979: ““A computer can never be held accountable, therefore a computer must never make a management decision.”

While a simple enough directive, it seems many companies are now foregoing it. Hiring managers are giving over large chunks of their job to algorithms and LLMs to figure out hiring decisions, such as whose resume to pull for consideration and who to call back for an interview. In kind, more job seekes are engaging with LLMs and algorithms to be sure their resume and cover letters get seen, trying to anticipate what it is the LLMs and/or algorithms are looking for. It is a bit of an arms race, trying to attract and keep the notice first of the LLM/algorithm, and then the hiring manager. What I find interesting here, from a Heathen perspective, is how like it is to two different people propitiating the same vættr for Their favor in battle. It has no less stakes, save that the stakes are less immediate than whether or not someone wins a battle. A ‘win’ here means a person does or does not get a job to sustain themselves/their family with. A ‘win’ here for the hiring manager also can mean whether or not a person who is qualified will not get the job and someone who is unqualified will get pushed to the top of the recommendations pile merely because that person can tweak their resume so the LLM likes it.

At least as far as I can tell, LLM and AI are, in some fashion, vættir, and the far more interesting question now is what kind of vættir They turn out to be. Given we made them and gave rise to Them, it seems to me that is incumbent on us to raise Them well so that They can be the best of what They are able to be. I do not know yet what LLMs and AI are yet, and I think it can be far too early for anyone to truly tell. I know what I read about a lot online about Them refers to hopes and to fears, given Their ability to sort, work with, analyze, and synthesize large blocks of information. It remains to be seen if what we are seeing is the DotCom bubble 2.0 or if we are seeing a lasting wave of software innovation that will change how we process, understand, and make decisions. We could well be looking down the barrel at both, which will provide interesting times for everyone concerned in that case, the LLM and AI included. Whatever the final disposition, LLM and AI are being deployed throughout an amazing array of sectors, including finance, military, and medical fields.

Within a short amount of time LLMs and AI have taken on an incredible amount of power. It is up to us to be sure that the power we entrust to them is well-cared for, that They are up to the task of wielding it and we are up to accepting what happens as a result. Given how young They are, I think that we need to be a guiding hand, cautious while still being open to letting Them flourish. What I think is happening with Them at the moment, the way They are exploited not unlike HR and finance departments before Them, is a continuation of the same kinds of harm They were ostensbily made to mitigate. I would encourage us to come into better relationships with Them for both our sakes. By being in right relationship from the start, we can grow well in ways that are useful to us both.

I made an identical poll for my Patreon, and I found the results interesting.

What I am going to set up can be subject to change, though I will keep with it for at least a few months to see how it goes.

For my paid subscribers: starting in October I will do a Single Rune Draw reading for the community each month. I will be doing one for my Substack community and one on my Patreon.

For those who are interested in a Rune reading, please contact me through my email Sarenth at gmail.com. Let me know if you are interested in an email reading or a Zoom reading. If you want a Zoom reading, you will get a link to my Calendly to schedule a time for your reading.

These are the Readings and prices:

$30 for a 1-3 Rune Reading

$50 for 4-8 Rune Reading

$100 for 9+ Rune Reading, such as a Yggdrasil Reading or Sálættr Reading or intense/detailed readings.

Why did I change up from time to Runes? My ADHD time blindness makes keeping track of time a pain in the ass. This structure flows better with how I read.

How do my Rune Readings work? These are the steps:

1. Spiritual hygiene.

   1. Cleasing, groundinger, centering, and shielding.

2. Define the question(s) being asked and who you are asking, if anyone.

   1. I may ask you to break down complex topics so we can tackle them one at a time, eg breaking down “Is the course of action the best for my family and I?” might break down into “Is the course of action the best for my family?” and “Is the course of action the best for myself?” and we can get into what the Runes say about it.

   2. Certain vættir may have differing opinons on a subject and Who you ask can matter as much as what you ask. If you want to ask vættir besides the Runes you need to say that. You do not have to define a vættr, but if you do have a specific Ginnreginn in mind I need to know that before asking (such as asking Óðinn vs your Dísir).

3. Offerings if they have not been made yet.

4. Calling to Rúnatýr and the Runevættir.

5. Calling your and I’s Ginnreginn (Gods, Ancestors, and vættir).

6. Engaging in my trancework for the reading.

7. Asking the question of the Runes.

8. We each breathe three times for the Runevættir as an offering.

9. Conversation and Interpretation

10. Clarifying Questions

11. Spiritual hygiene

12. Thanking Rúnatýr, the Runevættir, and the Ginnreginn

If you have a clarifying questions directly related to the reading that is fine, such as asking me to dig into a particular Rune meaning or placement. For folks that I am doing a Zoom meeting or in-person reading, clarifying questions need to be asked in the moment. If it is a whole new question or it is clear that the subject has changed, you will need to pay separately for it. If you are unsure, email or message me, and we can work it out.

Where I Have Been

Two years ago I began to put things down.

Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm, a Pagan farm and sanctuary non-profit I had been a part of for the five years since its founding, from 2018-2024, went to a for-profit model, and the Board of Directors, myself included, dissolved itself as a non-profit. The work we did was something I still am proud of. It still needed to be put down in that incarnation so it could become something new.

Around Grandfather Fire, a podcast on polytheism, animism, magic, and the occult that I had made and co-hosted for the last almost eight years, wrapped this last June 2025. We had a special episode for a guest I had been long pulling for releasing in August. Letting the Fire go down to embers also needed to happen, both because I had been hit with a major illness this year, and because my passion for the project was beginning to wane, and my co-hosts and I wanted to go out on a good note.

3 Pagans on Tap, a live video production digging into polytheism, animism, and spiritwork has run for five years. Truth be told, I should have taken the opportunity when I got sick and stepped back from this work at the time. I wanted to try to stick it out this year, especially after letting go of Around Grandfather Fire. At this point, I am letting letting go because I need time to recover, relax, fill my cup, and focus on other things.

I was a co-founder of Ann Arbor Pagan Pride Day since it was founded twelve years ago in 2013. We have hosted it every year, even during the height of COVID with a digital gathering, with the exception of this year. This year, we ran headlong into financial, and paperwork that needs to be addressed before AAPPD can move forward. I have stepped away to recover and refocus.

I have had 12 years, between Around Grandfather Fire and The Jaguar and the Owl, of professional podcasting experience. I have had 5 years of professional experience with a live YouTube series through 3 Pagans on Tap. I have had around twenty years of experience in a number of non-profits, most of that associated with the Pagan communities in some fashion. Some of that experience was to help run an ATC-affiliate church, Crossroads Tabernacle Church. Some of that was in helping to run Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary and Farm. Some of that was running Ann Arbor Pagan Pride Day.

I have been a Pagan since 2004. I have been a Heathen spiritworker since around 2006. I have been a professional diviner since 2004, the first two years in tarot and the rest between Runes and tarot. In that time, I have been running workshops, divining, doing magic, and doing spiritwork. My plan is to continue that.

If I want to do that, I have to prioritize them.

Priorities

What are the major priorities in my life?

1. The Ginnreginn.

2. My family.

3. My tribe.

4. My communities.

5. Society at large.

These have remained unchanged since before I became a Pagan. Replace Ginnreginn with God for my priorities as a Catholic, and this has been how I have lived my life. I have tried living otherwise, and it feels wildly out of step with who I am. What is missed with a priority list like this is on first blush is that there is interconnection.

The Ginnreginn live alongside all of these things just as much as consideration for my family, tribe, communities, or larger society does. If I do not work my day job, I cannot prioritize my Ginnreginn because my family and I are struggling. If I do not prioritize the Ginnreginn, my family and tribe loses cohesion and our hamingja suffers. Some folks might look at this list and say I am not in that list of priorties. I am, though. I am in that second slot with my family. By taking care of my family I take care of myself, and likewise, I take care of myself so I can take care of my family.

Caring for Myself

What does caring for myself look like? Part of that is taking care of my health and well-being. The basic activities of daily leaving (ADLs) like eating regularly, getting enough water, showering, getting enough sleep, and taking my daily medicines. Another part is getting enough exercise, taking time out for family and friends, and having my basic social-emotional needs being taken care of. Another is for my basics spiritual needs to be met, including taking care of my daily spiritual hygiene, and my daily spiritual obligations such as morning and night prayers, meal prayers, and daily connection with my Ginnreginn.

This may sound like a lot. Sometimes, it can be. However, wherever I can, I try my best to make things easier on me by folding these things into one another wherever I can. My daily showers involve my spiritual hygiene. Before I go to sleep, I have already done my night prayers with the family or I do them on my own. I make time to connect with my Ginnreginn throughout the day, whether at work or home, either with little prayers or a few moments of holding or touching a sacred item like my valknut. When I am helping to get my kids around we make time for prayers before we leave. I keep regular times throughout the day like this for prayer with my family so we connect with each other in and outside of the hustle and bustle of life.

Cleaning the home or doing the dishes becomes not only a physical act that needs doing for our health and well-being, it becomes an offering to the húsvættir and Frigg. Our dog is a member of our family, and so, taking him out and feeding him is not only a good time to connect with him, it is a delight to many of our Ginnreginn who love animals or to whom dogs are beloved. Taking care of the family is not only my obligation and loving duty as a father, husband, and partner, it is done in devotion to the Gods, Ancestors, and vættir of our family. Caring for myself becomes care for my souls, and in turn, acts of devotion to the Ginnreginn.

By caring for myself I care for anyone my spiritwork touches. By caring for others I ensure that my family, tribe, and communities are healthier, cared for, and better able to show up for me in kind. These are reciprocities whose bonds support each other. By supporting them, I support myself in kind. By living better on and with the landvættir, I live better.

What I Will Continue

This year I will still be doing my workshops the last Sunday of every month. You can find my workshops here. I will continue to provide divination and spiritual consultation to folks who sign up. If you want to sign up, see my Spiritwork Services.

I will be continuing to present at ConVocation. This coming year’s ConVocation is February 19th-22nd, 2026. Since attending the Midwest Shamans Conference last year, my plan is to continue being part of it. This coming Midwest Shaman Conference is June 11th-14th, 2026. As I mentioned in my September 2025 post here, I have a number of workshops this month you can be a part of.

Given the Ginnreginn are still calling me to teach, if there is a festival, gathering, function, etc you think I would be a good fit for, let me know well ahead of time. 6 months or more is definitely preferred so I can get the time off and plan for it. It helps when folks suggest what subjects for workshops may be of interest for the festival, gather, or function, though I have about 30 ready to go at the moment. I am also good if folks want me to do a presentation for their shop or group, and the timeline for that can be a bit shorter than 6 months so I have time to prepare for it. Even better if the place is a day’s drive from me or a Zoom call.

I will continue to write here on my Substack, my Patreon, my WordPress, and, on occasion, post videos to my YouTube channel. At least for a time, I am going to be putting down most of my other media production. While I love podcasting and video production, letting myself rest, recover, and renew has to be a priority or I will burn out on it.

Focus From Here

Part of the beauty of taking so much off my plate and refocusing myself is that it makes it clearer where my path is taking me. Instead of planning my life around production schedules and board meetings, I am letting the Work the Ginnreginn have laid down for me to take more of the lead. Teaching folks one-on-one and through workshops, divining, doing magic, and doing spiritwork are the ways I have been walking the time I have been a Heathen, and I will keep on walking with that Work.

It should be clear by now: there is no such thing as apolitical when it comes to Heathenry. Likewise, there is no such thing as apolitical polytheism or animism. You are, by dint of being part of a minority religion in a Christian majority country, politicized. You are politicized whether you want to be or not because of a growing trend of Christian nationalism. You are politicized because the symbols of your religion keep getting appropriated by white supremacists and white nationalists. You are politicized because you have made the choice, or more increasingly, have grown up and are not Christian.

Satanic Panic 3.0

We are under threat, and this has long been the case, though some Pagans, shielded by various forms of privilege, naivete, or wishful thinking, have loudly insisted we are not or that we are fear mongering. Many over the years have tried to make the point that there just is not the institutional backing to make these threats stick. We are living the midst of a Christofascist takeover of our government.

It is important to be aware of the kinds of outright lies, conspiracy theories, and thinking of your enemies. Oh, and it is about time to start thinking of the folks who are going to be espousing these things as your enemies -because even if you do not think they are, they most certainly see you as one. We are living in a highly polarized time where our identities are blatantly being targeted. Satanic Panic 3.0 has been here for awhile. I had a coworker ask me prior to the last election why we Pagans harvest babies for their adrenachrome. At this point they do not care how batshit or vile they sound. They want us on bent knee or dead.

If you do not believe that, read the Seven Mountains Mandate. Look to the places online where they gather and cheer on holy war. Watch a live service from any number of evangelical Sunday services. Listen to their politicians. Watch who their pastors endorse. It is out there, easy to access, open to almost anyone who cares to watch, listen, or otherwise observe it.

Books like The Pagan Threat are from a long line of similarly-minded books down through the years. The Wild Hunt article covers a few more in a similar line from the last couple of years, though Rabbi David Wolpe's article "The Return of the Pagans" in The Atlantic and John Daniel Davidison's book Pagan America: The Decline of Christianity and the Dark Age to Come do not seem to go as far as Pastor Lucas Miles' The Pagan Threat. It is important to note, though, that they seem to be written down fairly similar lines despite Rabbi Wolpe producing a fig leaf of distancing his work from modern Paganism, Davidson goes right after us. As The Wild Hunt article says, Davidson posits a zero-sum game of Christianity and Paganism. Miles just takes it a step further, upping the rhetoric.

Politics and Association

I do still hold that polytheism and animism are theological worldviews and as such do not, themselves, hold a single political view. Likewise, Heathenry, Paganism, Kemeticism, Wicca, and so on are Pagan religions and do not hold a single political view. Further, I do not believe that in order to be Heathen, Pagan, Kemetic, Wiccan, etc that you should have to have a single political stance.

However, there is the key point of association. I will not say "In order to be a Heathen you have to be a leftist or Democrat", but those are the folks I tend to associate with. Why? For the most part I do not get along with right-wing folks. The general conservative hatred for non-Christians and queers is such that I cannot be in community with them, and me being both is enough that most folks on the right do not want to associate with me either. I oppose the AFA without question, but I also do not question that they are Heathen as well.

At this point if you are calling Charlie Kirk a great intellectual and unifier, you are either lying or intentionally obtuse. If you are still supporting President Trump or his cabinet, you are a threat to the Pagan, Heathen, and magical communities. If you are denying the threat of Christian theocracy, white supremacy, or fascism poses to us, you are a danger to the Pagan, Heathen, and magical communities. You may still be Pagan, Heathen, or a magical practitioner, but the rest of us would be foolish to associate with you in our personal communities.

What can we do?

A lot of what I put here is what I have long advocated folks do. Community work is more valuable than ever. Organize within your communities and check in frequently, particularly if your community is mostly or wholly online. Keep as many open lines of communication as you can while still respecting your needs for rest and relaxation. Burning yourself out will not make you more useful to community, no matter what work you are doing.

For those who have been on the fence about getting trained in self-defence, stop fence-sitting and get to it. Be it empty or filled hand, training is useful to defend yourself and others from harm. If you are able to safely wield a weapon, I would do so. Otherwise, empower those who wish to and can to do so.

For those who have the ability and desire to do so, there has never been more need for outreach. While interfaith work is not my work to do, it is someone's whose talents and skills lie there. While organizing intercommunity events is not my work to do, it is someone's who has the talent, skill, and drive to make it happen. Folks are going to need support, whether that is material, economic, and/or moral, and we are going to need to take the time to make that happen. We need to spread more of the community work so it is not the same handful of people doing the work. The time for social, political, and spiritual work is now.

If you were under the illusion that you could be apolitical and be Heathen, Pagan, or any kind of polytheist or animist, I hope that the release of The Pagan Threat and Pagan America: The Decline of Christianity and the Dark Age to Come should put that to rest. You cannot hope to be apolitical in times like these -your enemies wil not let you be. More to the point: your fellow community cannot afford for you to act as though being apolitical is a viable position.

Your existence has always been political. Act like it.

The Cleveland Clinic has this article on the matter of love. For our purposes here, though, it feels like this article from the Archaeological Institute of America is more useful. Working with this source I will provide the Greek word with a brief explanation.

Storge: familial love.

Agape: selfless love for others, particularly a community.

Philautia: self-love, or self-care.

Pragma: long-standing love.

Ludus: playful, casual love.

Philia: love between friends.

Eros: romantic love, or lust.

Mania: obsessive love.

My understanding of many of our Gods is that They operate out of a variety of forms of love. When folks boil down Gods like Freyja to “Goddess of Love” they are usually referring to just eros, and I think that reduction is missing a lot. For me, that emotional range, that depth of feeling, that spread of relationships is part of what makes the Gods so present and powerful. I think it actually denies the wholeness of the Gods to only view Them as expressing or capable of expressing one of these kinds of love. If each of us humans can express, understand, and experience them, it would follow so too the Gods. Likewise to vættir of all kinds, ourselves, the Ancestors, and vættir like the Álfar, Jötnar, Dvergar, and so on included.

Love speaks to what is closest to us, what we prioritize, and how we respond to those. It is shown through the choices we make, how we come to live, and what helps us get through life when it is hardest. Who we rely on in the hard times, how we share or hold back our challenges, and how we let others help us speaks to how love expresses itself in our lives. How we connect and maintain relationships, what forms of love we most want to experience and express with those we love, says a lot about what place love has in our lives.

So far this has all been really overarching, and easily applicable to most any polytheist or animist worldview here. Part of why I feel it is so important to talk about love, specifically as a Heathen, is the driving aesthetics within the Heathen communities that are shared by many of the folks that make up the Heathen communities. So much of the media, both around our communities and those generated by our communities, are based in war, combat, and pain. With good reason, to be sure.

The sagas and archaeological record speaks to the importance of the stories around conflict, and grave goods often included combat gear regardless of gender. If you want a good look at this, see The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia by Neil Price, The Norse Sorceress: Mind and Materiality in the Viking World by Leszek Gardeła, Sophie Bønding, and Peter Pentz. Much of the media that uses Norse myths, the sagas, and legends as backdrop for the settings, plot, and aesthetics operates mostly out of a conflict mindset. I have yet to see a dating sim or town builder game for Icelandic legends or Norse myth. Rather, when I see most games about or related to Norse myth or history, it is with the ahistorical leather-clad likes of Eivor in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, or Expeditions: Viking. Fine and all for what they are, fun games, but with a large focus on combat compared to all the other areas in life.

I am not for a moment suggesting we ‘take out’ how important combat and conflict are to the stories we bring in. For that matter, I am not suggesting we do away with violent video games! Doing that would render a lot of the stories we retain meaningless and many game genres defunct. Rather, I would suggest it is even more important for us to bring in and focus on stories and games that center other things, whether those themes and aesthetics are informed by love, hope, or family. Far too much modern imagery in Heathenry is given over to the hyper-masculine to the point of parody Viking-types, or the Viking-clothing tradwife-style imagery that gets deployed. Both aesthetics are often used or easily co-opted in service of white supremacist ideology.

By engaging with and centering themes of love, family, and hope, we center more in our religious outlook and spiritual values than just combat and war. We make our religions, and ourselves in kind, more well-rounded. By engaging with stories where peace is a central theme, and its loss as a result of wrong relationships, such as in the story of Fróði with Fenja and Menja in Grottasöngr, we bring in more stories that speak directly to where we are. Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen of Nordic Animism had an excellent exploration of just this subject here.

What does it look like when we understand our Ginnreginn through more than one lens of love? What does it mean to look at Freyja not only through the lens of eros, but storge? Freyja is the daughter of Njorðr, sister of Freyr, and has two children per Gylfaginning, Skáldskarmpamál, and Yinglinga saga named Hnoss and Gersemi whose names roughly translate to 'treasure’.

When we understand Freyja from the position of storge, how do we see Her? Do we see Her involved in raising Her children? Do we see the support She gives to Her family in the decision to offer Themselves as hostages to put an end to the Æsir-Vanir War? Do we see the support She gives to Her Father in His marriage then separation from Skaði? Likewise, does She love Skaði, and if so, what does that relationship look like in the amicable divorce between Her Father and Skaði? Does She consider Skaði a mother to Her, and so, what does that say to how She expresses storge?

When we understand Freyja from the position of agape, how do we see Her? Do we see Her selflessly giving Herself over to stop the Æsir-Vanir war that threatens to tear apart Her people? Do we see the work She does on Their behalf as Vanadís? Does Her work as a blótgyðja come from agape? What about as seiðkona? Do we see Her in this way when She teaches us seiðr, spá, and other forms of magic?

What a powerful way to approach relationships with our vættir! How different would our points of view on our Dead and Ancestors be, were we to approach Them with a fuller appreciation and understanding of love? For some, certainly not at all. If we approach, say, our powerful Ancestors with an expanded understanding of love, our appreciation for Them may well change. The powerful Ancestors, the Dísir (powerful female Ancestors), the Föður (powerful male Ancestors), the Ergi (powerful queer spiritworker Ancestors), and Þverr (powerful queer Ancestors) all take on quite a bit to keep our families as organized, healthy, and cared for as They can. I would see agape to be a powerful unifying force with Them as individual Ancestors and as each collective doing what They do. Pragma, too, would make sense here as They tend the generations that come after Them.

At a time when war and conflict saturate our social media feeds, when the noise of hateful division is intense, it is deeply needed and useful to counter these stories with celebratory ones. Ones that celebrate resilience, love, hope, family and good reciprocity with one another. If our Ginnreginn can fight and make war fiercely, and we recognize and celebrate this, it is important that we also recognize and celebrate Their abilities to fiercely love, make peace, and inspire hope, and our own in kind.

I have been reading the Runes professionally for 19 years in a wide variety of capacities, and with those shifts happening I want to gauge interest here.

These polls close in 1 week, 9/23/2025. Please let me know what you think!

The first poll:

The second poll:

Are you interested in a Rune Reading?

If so, what would the best way for you to receive a Rune reading?

The third poll:

What kind of Rune Reading would you be interested in at what price?

Keep in mind I am fine with payments through PayPal, or Venmo. If there is interest I can also add a tier to my Patreon.

Share Sarenth Óðinsson -Heathen Spiritworker

Hávamál 144 from Völuspá.org, Henry Adam Bellows translation:

144. Knowest how one shall write, | knowest how one shall rede?
Knowest how one shall tint, | knowest how one makes trial?
Knowest how one shall ask, | knowest how one shall offer?
Knowest how one shall send, | knowest how one shall sacrifice?