Magickal Currents

As I often refer to myself as a Vanic Hedgewitch, I would like to point out that I do not think Witchcraft as I define it (folk magick practices, non-ceremonial, using common items to effect change in mundane life) is the exclusive domain of the Vanir.  Indeed, I do know of Rokkr and Aesir devotees who identify as Witches, and some of them are probably reading this website.  (Hi.)   That being said, I do believe there are different magickal currents within the Northern Tradition.


JOTUN MAGICK
I believe the Jotnar are the First Gods of the Northlands, who taught humanity how to use fire, hunt, gather, and otherwise survive in a harsh world.  The Jotun Deities are very primal, and as such tend to scare or offend Aesir-focused Asatruar who are used to a cushy modern life and would prefer the Gods also come safe and in neat little packages.  The Jotnar current of magick is largely based on Death, and How to Avoid It.  In modern times the Jotnar seem to be claiming people because we have forgotten that death is a natural part of life, while we are still actively involved in prematurely assuring the destruction of the human race and the planet.  This offends the Jotnar, and rightly so.

From what I have observed, Jotun-style magick is wild and primal, and could be termed "shamanic".  The Ancestors found that sound can change consciousness, and that emotional states such as fear or anger, or even lust, are effective to enforce change.  The elements are bargained with, as is the land, the sea, and the creatures upon and within.  Sacrifice is often given to hold up the human end of the bargain.  The most obviously shamanic of the Jotun Deities would be the Rokkr, that is, the family, blood and extension, of Loki.  We see Surt, who gave fire both to warm bodies and cook food, as well as to use as a weapon.  We see Angrboda, the Wolf Chieftaness, who teaches the mysteries of dominance to men and women, in an age when being an Alpha was your best chance for survival.  This relates directly to Farbauti, who I believe as "Cruel Striker", can keep the strongest bloodlines going, when weakness was a death sentence.  We see Hela, who keeps the dead and the promise that life goes on, as well as the ties that bind, after the body fails.  I also believe Laufey is a Goddess of tree lore, which would have been important to learn what wood is best for building shelter, for making weapons, for kindling, for food, for medicine, and so on.  I see Gerda as being Goddess of a time when gatherers learned how to plant the seeds of wild herbs and grow them, which eventually evolved into farming grain and other crops, and indeed, Her marriage to Frey seems to be an acknowledgment of this.

The Jotun Gods are powerful allies when working with Death, and How to Avoid It, and by extension, the wild things are Theirs.  Today, the primal element of the Jotnar can be best accessed through altering states of consciousness, most commonly with a drum, and in that state of consciousness, moving "between worlds".  Their magick can also be worked with elements: burning flame, running water, stormwinds, and going into the wild places and working with the life of the soil, the trees and wild plants, and the beasts that roam.  No major ceremony needs to be worked, unless They have said otherwise, in which case the best offering for Them is blood, and most often your own, as They want not just the blood, but the pain behind it, that "little death".


AESIR MAGICK
It is widely thought the worship of the Aesir came from "somewhere else", and influenced the indigenous people of the Northlands who were worshipping the Vanir and Jotnar.  Many think the Aesir came with the Indo-Europeans, or perhaps from a different part of Europe.  Whatever Their origin, it is also known that the Aesir are descended of Jotnar, and ultimately used the bloodgift of dominance and mastery to change the face of religion in the Northlands, permanently.  Be that as it may, that does not mean the Aesir were/are inherently malicious in doing so.  The Aesir ultimately represent the evolution of society, always moving towards its highest and best form, whether that comes from improvements in the quality of life through technological advancement, or the education and overall awareness of humanity.

As such, the Aesir style of magick seems to be about using objects plus words to create change.  For example, charms can be woven into clothing, the power passing through the hands into the work, with words of intent "sealing" the magick.  A hammer can be used to ward space.  A mead horn can be used to inspire feats of creativity.  Words can be in the modern lexicon, or the elder tongues, or written in runes.  The Aesir God Odin gifted all races with runes, which I experience as being a microcosm of the cycles of existence, and the Universe itself.  The word "rune" literally translates as "mystery", and indeed each rune is a word that is a world, which can be accessed to influence Wyrd.  To use Aesic objects plus runes is to speed up one's personal evolution as well as the evolution of the world around you, and the world at large.  When working with Them it is proper to give an offering, and mead usually works, representative of poetry, the natural expression of higher mind.


VANIR MAGICK
The Vanir are the Gods of How to Live, both in terms of proper work and proper play.  We see Their influence in the beginnings of agriculture -- growing crops for food -- as well as harvesting fish from the seas.  We see Their influence in the beginnings of commerce: payment for food, as well as for work that was done to enhance the quality of life -- making clothing, for example.  At the beginning of the Vanic cultus, I believe the Jotnar still were worshipped, and the stories of Njord's marriage to Skadhi and Frey's marriage to Gerda seem to hint at this.  Ultimately the Vanir came into prominence with Jotun culture being peripheral, as the Northlands shifted from a hunter-gatherer civilization to that of farmers.

The Vanir style of magick is centered on Land, Home, Work, Food, and Sex.  These five things are necessary for the maintenance of health and strength and life.  Land and home can be both hallowed and warded.  Objects for work, and the work itself, can be charged for power and efficiency.  Food can be blessed for the pleasure of eating, receiving the optimum nutritional benefit of the food, and bringing the community together in appreciation of bounty.  Sex is a powerful way of bonding, whether it creates new life or does not, and the state of consciousness used for intimacy can also bring about communion with the Gods, and change in the mundane world.

The main way of transferring power in Vanic magick is through touch, as exemplified by sexual contact, the ultimate form of touch.  Words do not necessarily have to be used, but touch with intent behind it can imbue people, places, and things with positive or negative energy.  To offer to a Vanic Deity, food that is part of your own sustenance or specially prepared, and thus a sacrifice, is always a good way to go, and sexual fluids can also be used on specific occasions.



There will of course be overlap.  Odin, as an Aesir, sought wisdom from both the Vanir and Jotnar, and as such often utilizes shamanic (the Yggdrasil ordeal) and folk magick techniques (as seen in the Merseburg charm, in His role of healer) to create change.  Sex magick is also practiced by the Aesir and Jotnar, and often the Aesir and Jotnar together (Odin and Gunnlod, Thor and Jarnsaxa).  The Vanir can and will use runes, as seen by Skirnir working runic magick in the service of Frey.  The Vanir also will use shamanic techniques, such as Freyja's seidhr and Frey's utiseta.  However, I do notice a fundamental difference in the way the Jotnar, Vanir, and Aesir do things, which of course influences Their followers.  So, whether working within that current, or in overlapping paradigms, may frith be woven among the tribes of the Northern Gods, through the Tree, and into Midgard.

(C) 2008 Sigrun Freyskona.