Chapter Two
The 81 Side Elements
Twelfth-century northern Europe witnessed a paradigm shift in attitudes concerning esoteric/magic practices due to the advancement of intellectual changes involving the impetus of a variety of economic, social, and cultural evolution. This led to what was formerly considered demonic illusionary magical practices to be more distinctly categorised as high and low magic, white or black magic. Collectively, these changes have impacted the general view today in modern paganism of the good versus evil in respect of magic workings, which has stuck with us today in the modern mindset of those who attempt to imitate or indeed reconstruct those original ideas or practices. I further digress that the notions of good or evil simply did not exist back then for our pagan ancestors who worked with nature using the elements, nor was it ever called magic for those who practised cunning craft healing arts a thousand years ago. Under the auspice of seiðr, those who practised seiðrcraft had an end result, a desired effect. Sometimes when it failed, the end result had no effect, just as it is today. Magic is tapping into the natural movement or flow of the earth based on cosmic energy and directing it effectively. This movement works or does not work for the sorcerer or cunning Fjǫlk.
Negative or evil magic is a modern concept based on church doctrines stemming back to the Middle Ages. Practising historical seiðr required a lifetime of research and dedication, not just theory or self-invented rituals to suit a personal narrative. To emulate the historical practice of seiðr required extensive dedication in both research and hands-on activities, rather than just theory. Possessing a comprehensive understanding of the Geisteshaltung or mindset of the ancient heathen era, Germanic cultures, as well as the harshness of those times has relevance. Also, remembering that magical practices for these early northern European people were as natural to them as the physics and science that we so heavily rely on today to drive all our hardcore technological electronic marvels. When you consider the varying and seemingly vast contradictory accounts, many still untranslated in the sagas as sources for the Viking Age on the term witchcraft, it is surprising that so little has been done regarding the factual historical aspect of northern European shamanistic practices (Ben and Constable, 1982; Ward, 1982).
The question as to exactly how seiðr staffs were used within a seiðr ritual is a difficult one, as we simply do not know. But perhaps the least understood of all these staffs was the gambanteinn (twig of potency, twig of power) or gamban twig, a slender wooden staff with fuÞark runes carved on it from a freshly cut sapling, which possesses the power to drive a female to lust insanity. This twig of power causes sexual submission, followed by uncontrollable sexual wantonness akin to an animal going on heat. Three runes are used here, causing burning pains to affect the genitals, sexual itches, and irresistible desire. The runes are translated as ‘extreme lust’, ‘burning’ (with genital connotations), along with an unbearable lust to have sexual intercourse. My own thoughts on the gambanteinn staff runes are the runes Fehu ᚠ, Uruz ᚢ, and Thurisaz þ. ᚠ ᚢ þ in old Norse futh means ‘vulva’ and ‘vagina’, and I suggest that these three runes have a relevance when it comes to targeting the reproductive area of a woman’s anatomy. Now using runes, aided also by an intoxicant substance that enhances sexual arousal in human females, akin to the Spanish fly.
There is also, in my view, an incantation that comes with these three power runes. (Reference: Skírnismál.) It goes without saying that everything you learn is based on theory and practice. But there are big differences between what gets taught at college and what a vǫlva from my tradition can actually teach you. For example, practising weather changes, such as creating tsunamis or hurricanes, should never be taught to novices. The damage would be immeasurable. But there are ways and means to practise something like this in a small, safe way, without endangering lives or causing natural disasters. However, this should be done only with an experienced person, which is why giving away detailed instructions in this book cannot happen because you do not know who is reading it. Let me give a small example of how exactly to learn newer things without upsetting the balance of nature. We all tend to naturally do harmless things when we are an apprentice to a vǫlva during the early days of training. Sabine trained her last student about 10 or 11 years ago to do exactly that. Harmlessly let algae balls wash up on the beach in Australia. For this, we needed nodes in the magnetic field in the water.
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