An amazing book on Carlos Castaneda

(Review of Jörgen I Eriksson's book The Active Side of Infinity: Castaneda and Shamanism written by Michael Peter Langevin for the April issue of The Echo World, www.theechoworld.com)

Those of you who enjoy Carlos Castaneda and traditional shamanism, I got one for you. This is an amazing book. Not since Peter Luce’s Getting Castaneda, have I read such an insightful book. Sofia turned me on to Jörgen I Eriksson because he has written of Nordic Runes and Seidr. However, I had no idea his understated succinct Nordic writing style would cut so well and deeply into aspects of Castaneda’s teachings which I have wondered about for many years. Eriksson does not get caught up in any of the soap opera or drama which distracts people from Castaneda. Rather, he tells the story of how Don Juan warned Carlos about choosing the Coyote as his spirit guide. That that explains who Carlos was and what his life consisted of.

Eriksson has studied shamanism and rune magic for over forty years. To prepare for this book he reread all twelve of Castaneda’s books for two years. He states that by distancing Castaneda from Castaneda we can see that his writings are important in the cannon of shamanic literature. I had never thought to compare Don Juan’s teachings to Nordic shamanism or Nordic myths. This book does that wonderfully. It also hit many of the parts of Castaneda’s books that seem important but challenging to grasp. How can a sorcerer defy death for 800 years and still be alive? What is the Tonal and the Nagual? What exactly is the assemblage point, how can we shift it and what can that achieve? My favorite points are how Eriksson deals with death as an ally and the ultimate importance of intent.

Seidr 5.0 now available again

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.

My book Rune Magic and Shamanism is also still available at norrshaman@gmail.com.

Rune Magic and Shamanism – expanded edition

Rune Magic and Shamanism: Original Nordic Knowledge from Mother Earth has now been updated and expanded. There is now much more on the hidden knowledge of the runes, on the numerical magic of the runic system and on the similarities between rune magic and alchemy, deep psychology and quantum physics.

The runes are an integral part of a Nordic shamanic way of knowledge that was long forgotten but recreated by new shamans towards the end of the 20th century. Their aim was to pull the essence of the runes, their origins and meanings from the recesses of history and bring them into our own time in a dynamic and creative way. 

I have been working with the runes since the early 1980’s trying to apply a dynamic and creative shamanic method to the runes. They possess a great inherent power and function as whirls into Dreamtime. The runes do express the totality of all knowledge that is dispersed everywhere and they can manifest their full potential when combined with other shamanic methods and with new insights from alchemy, deep psychology and quantum physics. In one of the new chapters in this book I also analyze the connections between the runes and the nine creation waves of Mayan cosmology and how to contribute to harmony and balance in the great cosmic cycles.  

Rune Magic and Shamanism is a book about real magic and a manual to the Nordic shaman’s philosophy and practice. More information on the book can be found here. It can be ordered directly from norrshaman@gmail.com. The cost is £20, €25 or $30 – depending on which country you live in.

Seidr 5.0 – A Guide to Nordic Shamanism

The first Swedish edition of Seidr was published in 1985. The English version is based on the fifth edition that was published in 2016 and is focused on the distinctive features of Nordic shamanism.

The book is both a theoretical and a practical guide to Nordic shamanism with extensive accounts of sacred sites, non-ordinary reality, Dreamtime, vision quests, soul journeys, power, magic, runes, seidr, ceremonies and shamanic medicine.

Seidr 5.0 incorporates new perspectives on synchronicities and archetypes as well as impulses from quantum physics, alchemy and deep psychology in an attempt to develop Nordic shamanism in a creative direction. It is really about time to publish an English edition of Nordic shamanism and its creative possibilities in the twenty-first century.

Shamanism is about finding and walking one’s own way. The aim of this book is to serve as a manual and a guide to the strange world of the Nordic shaman – a world that is possible to enter for anyone who is willing to let go of self-importance and start walking in humility on Mother Earth.

This is the opinion of the Saami shaman Eirik Myrhaug after reading Seidr 5.0: ”Eriksson has a Nordic starting point for his shamanism, but he has also been much inspired by Saami shamanism. He also brings in perspectives from quantum physics into a shamanic world view and that makes the book very up to date. It can be used as an encyclopedia of shamanism. This book is recommended!”

Details: ISBN 978-91-978832-8-3. 96 pages, A5, hardcover spiral. When the book is ordered directly from norrshaman the price is (postage included) €25, £20, $30. The book will also be available at Amazon and the Swedish web sites Adlibris and Bokus.

Course in Rune Magic and Shamanism

A course with Jörgen I. Eriksson 21-24 September 2017 in Tiveden, Southwest Sweden.

Rune magic is an integral part of a Nordic shamanic way of knowledge that was long forgotten but has come back with great strength towards the end of the 20th century. The runes are now flowing into our own time in a dynamic and creative way. This course is held in the wilderness area of Tiveden.

The runes possess a great inherent power. They represent knowledge from Mother Earth and do express the totality of all knowledge that is dispersed everywhere. The runes are archetypes originating from the beginning of creation and they are doorways into Dreamtime, the non-ordinary reality. They can be utilized to bring healing, harmony and balance to humans, animals, plants, minerals and Mother Earth.

In this course the participants will work with the runes in combination with other shamanic methods such as soul journeying, vision quests and walkabouts, ceremonies at sacred sites and the Nordic variant of the sweat lodge. The course also deals with the many connections between rune magic and quantum physics, alchemy and the concepts of archetypes and synchronicities. The aim is to give the participants a personal understanding of how the runes can be used as tools in order to think and act in beauty and contribute to harmony and balance in the world. The runes will help participants to find their own unique ways to knowledge and power.

Venue: The Hos Martha & Anders conference centre in Perstorp, Tiveden. You will find it on this map. 

All practicalities are handled by Sabrina Biscardi at Terra Sacra in London. More information on the course, costs, registration, travels etc at norrshaman.

Jörgen I. Eriksson has worked in the Nordic shamanic tradition for more than 35 years. He has written several books on Nordic shamanism and on Saami and Navajo spiritual traditions. His book Rune magic and shamanism has been translated into English, German and Estonian. His work is presently focused on runes, synchronicities and quantum physics and on reawakening, protecting and preserving sacred sites. More info at norrshaman.