The Sacred Space Conference

Heathenry has long been accused of lacking magic. Many Heathens themselves will say “We don’t do magic.” This class will argue against those claims and set a framework for a rich magical practice based in Norse Paganism. This class will pull examples of Heathen Magic from the historical record, examine those examples and walk through ways to incorporate them into a daily practice that can be as magical as the practitioner chooses. We will start with the existing medieval sources, move on through history and look at post medieval Icelandic practices, and then modern practices that fit into our Heathen context.

Stand on the cliff tops above a seal colony and listen. The seal voices drifting up on the winds sound much like the cries of people. It is, thus, easy to understand how myths of seals transforming into humans arose in so many northern cultures, ancient and modern. Seals, found on every continent of our planet, spend most of their lives at sea, sharing the same waters as fishing boats, competing for the same catch. Hunter, and hunted. This will be an experiential workshop – with story-telling, trancework and conversation around how we can be in better relationship with these gorgeous creatures. In a former life, Raven was a seal-behaviouralist, and seals are beloved to them.

The creation of humanoid figures is an act with origins which predates recorded history. Such work aligns us with the art of the gods as conjured by humanity’s earliest imagining, and creates both a conduit for power and an anchor for spirit. In this discussion we will explore the use of the dolls and effigies in various magical traditions throughout history, as well as examine practical ways that we may meaningfully incorporate them into a contemporary practice based upon sound methodology and tradition. We will then explore the deeper realms of this art by discussing techniques and approaches towards employing effigies as spirit houses and devotional objects. And finally, we will conclude by discussing the various materials and methods we might use for the construction of effigies, as well as methods for consecration and enlivening them for magical purposes.