The book Seidr 5.0: A Guide to Nordic Shamanism
is now in stock again and possible to order directly from norrshaman@gmail.com. Details: 96 pages, A5, hardcover spiral, price
(postage included) €25, £20, $30. ISBN 978-91-978832-8-3.
The book has
been reviewed by readers on Amazon – with views differing from full of praise
to a more critical stand. Here are a few quotations:
“Very good book.
Informative and well written which should be no surprise as this is the fifth
edition. Highly recommended.”
“It is an
excellent handbook allowing the reader to understand how to bring Seidr into
modern times. It shows ancient practices in modern settings. It is not an
academic tome of Seidr practice and is not meant to be one. My favorite part of
the book is the 154 ‘points of shamanic philosophy’ - each one a short
paragraph with concise (and potent) content - a frequent source for my daily
meditation/journey.”
But everybody
doesn’t like my version of shamanic philosophy, or just don’t get it right:
“Extremely
disappointed at the blatant pro-communist stance of this book. I hope the
people who embrace this book look at the real history of communism throughout
the world and not just the rainbows and unicorn lies professors at ‘higher’
learning institutions shove down their throats. This is pure garbage.”
One reader has a somewhat more academic
stance:
“One of the book's meatier sections focuses on
reconciling Shamanism with Marxism, though the author then affirms that this is
not an attempt at politicizing spirituality but to bolster Shamanism and move
it forward. An interesting section that I was not expecting, to come across in
a book titled as a guide to ‘Norse Shamanism’ and Seidr.”
“This is indeed a guide to the author’s style
of Shamanism, based on years of personal work and inspired gnosis, with a
Nordic flavor. Yet it really covers a skeletal approach to Harner style
shamanism (drumming, using rattles, etc), coupled with the author’s own views
and experiences, rather than really delving into Seidr as something distinct in
its own right, or drawing from other in depth Nordic sources to reconstitute
Seidr. It seems that many cultural sources are drawn from here, and then
‘Nordicized’ with heathen terms such as Seidr.”
Surprisingly to
me even the editor of the journal Sacred
Hoop, Nicholas Breeze Wood, has some difficulties with the political
dimension of my shamanic way:
“One section of
the book contains a list of 154 tenets of shamanism, most of which I whole
heartedly agree with, although a few I would refute, and some feel well out of
place, as they get more and more Marxist and literally Communist as the list
gets towards its close, and they have very little to do with any form of
shamanism as I know it, and seem to say much more about the authors political
leanings. I think this list could and should - have been largely omitted.”
Personally I
think this kind of critique says more about the lack of political and
philosophical understanding among modern shamanically inclined persons than
anything else.
However the
review by Nicholas Breeze Wood is mainly very positive:
“The book has a
very Nordic feel, with many mentions of the shamanic traditions of the Saami
people of Northern Norway and Finland, including some interesting discussion on
various types of spirits and their importance… and we have sections on utiseta
(an ancient Nordic vision quest practice), the use of the drum, shamanic
journeying, the practice of seidr, the use of sacred yoiks (songs), runes and sacred
dance, ritual objects, ceremony and other topics. It’s not the most
comprehensive book, but it’s solid, and for those who feel the need to explore
shamanism from a more European basis it will, I am sure, give much food for
thought and trigger further explorations.”
More information about the book on norrshaman.
More information about the book on norrshaman.
My book Rune Magic and Shamanism is also still
available at norrshaman@gmail.com.
