The Unity of Consciousness – Seidr and Sexual Transformation pt 2

Consequently, by negating the outside world, a man practicing seidr becomes an ergi or a wimp as he would be called today. One should keep in mind that the Viking society assigned the man with the role of the warrior, defender of the family, and generally considered him its active member. Being a seidrmadr at that time was simply socially unacceptable. Nevertheless, the rejection by the society was not caused only by the seidr practitioner’s rejection of sexuality. The transformation that takes over the practitioner separated him from the society and his community, which is predisposed to rejecting anyone who’s different. The individual in a state of trance looses all features of his or her sexuality, his or her physical nature and his or her personality. This individual severs ties with the world of humans and becomes part of the world of spirits, as a result he or she stops being a true member of society. Shamans in all parts of the world are excluded from the society the same way seidr practitioners were in Viking times. Paradoxically, the community was wary even of local healers, midwives and similar professionals, even though they were useful to the society.

Even though it seems that a man practicing seidr takes over a woman’s role in sex, sexual characteristics in fact play no role in the division of magic between seidr and galdor. As we’ve already said, trance is a state in which the individual rejects his or her sex, either becoming asexual or a member of the opposite sex (just like in dreams, in trance a woman can become a man, and a man can become a woman). The only difference between the two magical practices are to be found in the ways seidr and galdor are practiced. Seidr is the more passive, and galdor the more active practice. Of course, here we are talking about galdor in the broadest sense of the word, not just verbal magic.

A person who wants to practice the occult seriously must accept both these magical practices – both seidr and galdor – otherwise he or she will not be able to achieve a spiritual and magical growth. A mage must be turned towards the inner, spiritual world but must not loose the connexion with reality. Therefore, for a mage to be successful, he or she should not focus only on supernatural experiences and contacting non-human entities, regardless of how much more appealing and interesting that might seem from participating in what constitutes everyday life. To call oneself successful in the occult, a person must be able to cause change in reality as well: socially, emotionally and financially. Only then can one consider oneself a follower of Odin – or a follower of Freya, who never limited herself to practicing only seidr.

Vanadis and the Hooded Crow