Otherworld Cosmology, Journeying, and Etiquette

Part of being a hedgewitch is not just living on the fringe of society, but straddling the border between this world and the Otherworlds.  I am frequently Asked to journey to the Otherworlds, which involves altering my state of consciousness and going to one of the Nine Worlds to meet with a specific Deity or set of Deities and/or wights in an exchange of information and good will.  I have been aware of doing Otherworld journeying since 2001, when I started going quite accidentally, then honed my skills for more organized travels in 2002. 

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: I don't claim to know everything there is to know about the Otherworlds, moreover, since you the generic readership and myself are on separate Paths, with no two Paths being alike even if there is common ground and overlap, your mileage is definitely going to vary.  That being said, I can write about my own experiences and see what you find useful of the knowledge I've gained.  Disagreement does not mean you are "wrong", it means you will experience the Gods and attitudes of different Beings differently, yourself being an individual.


The Otherworlds

Yggdrasil is spoken of in the Lore as having nine worlds:

Midgard (where we live, also see "Middle-Earth")
Asgard, realm of the Aesir
Vanaheim, realm of the Vanir
Jotunheim, realm of most of the Jotnar
Muspellheim, realm of the fire giants
Niflheim, realm of the frost giants
Helheim, realm of the dead of any race
Svartalfheim, realm of the Svartalfar, Dokkalfar, and Duergar (black-elves, dark-elves, and dwarves)
Ljossalfar, realm of the Ljossalfar (light-elves)

The "easiest" realms for most Northern Tradition people to access will invariably be Asgard and Vanaheim, or Vanaheim and Jotunheim.  It is a bit harder for someone who can easily access Jotunheim to access Asgard, and vice versa.  Some travellers have a very easy time getting to Ljossalfheim, others cannot access the realm at all.  Most everyone can get to the gate of Helheim, but Hela refuses to let most people past a certain point, leaving "real" access to Her realm for Her Hel-owned employees ONLY.  Hela has expressed displeasure both to myself and other spirit-workers as far as certain seidh groups going to Her realm and trying to access the full scope of Helheim, as well as waking up Her dead for no reason.

The concept of a World Tree is not just limited to the Northern Tradition but can be found in Celtic mythology as well as Hindu mythology, Hindu mythology coming very close to our own with the Tree of Life being encircled by a serpent, with an eagle on top.  Because I believe Yggdrasil is symbolic of the multiverse, I believe there are worlds within the Nine Worlds, for other Gods of other pantheons, and other assorted Beings.  Awhile back a map was "downloaded" into my head of the Nine Worlds being something like a circle inside the trunk of Yggdrasil, rather than different Worlds resting on different branches.  I have seen Olympus as being accessible from a bridge out of the farthest reaches of Asgard (the Wild Wood), and Hades' realm being across the river from Hela's.  There is a mound within Vanaheim that can bring one to the realm of the Celtic Gods, if you find which one and then are not barred from doing so.

As far as the different pantheons Themselves, I had a series of visions in 2007 about different Deities of different pantheons meeting each other and forming truces and alliances, often formalizing oaths over shared mead or wine.  I believe it is hubris to think that in the "global village" of the 21st century, that the different Gods of world mythologies are not aware of each other, and have not conspired over individuals, groups, and events.  Moreover, I believe many pantheons made contact centuries ago, when the Norsemen intermarried with their Celtic and Saami neighbors, and traveled to the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia.  And even then, I have been given a tale of One that had a Son and a Daughter, that made a First Race of Proto-Gods (these would be Gods such as The Great Mother, The Hunter, and so on), that had further children, and then those children had Families that settled in different sections of a Great Tree.

I believe that the "larger" a Deity, in terms of The Great Mother (or, for that matter, Herne/Cernunnos who my UPG says is Patriarch of both the Vanir and some Celtic Gods), the less of a personality They have.  This is not to reduce the power of more personable Deities such as Freyja or Lugh, only that the closer you get to the First Source, the more mysterious and unknowable the Being.  I do also believe that there are certain Deities that while members of distinct Pantheons and families run on specific "currents", which means you have Frigga and Hera on the current of Wife to the Chief, and Frey, Dionysus, and Tammuz on the current of Dying-and-Reborn Crop God, but They are still very different in terms of personality and domain/s.

It may be heretical, but it has given me peace, and inspired me to interfaith dialogue, religious tolerance, and more understanding all around.



How I Journey

I have a set of nine iron skeleton keys which sits on Frigga's portion of the Aesir altar.  She has given me permission to use this as a tool for my journeying, to "open the door" of each World.  I will use the keys as a rattle to alter my state of consciousness.  There are several reasons for this unusual arrangement with Frigga.

First of all, my initial Otherworld journeys were to Frigga's home in Fensalir, where She had me spend time with Her and get to know Her.  She has been especially helpful with affection and comfort and encouragement during some very dark places in my life.  Besides this, She went through the Nine Worlds asking for all Beings not to hurt Baldur, and since I journey mainly in the interest of frith-weaving in good will, Frigga approves and it is under Her patronage that I journey.

A less obvious reason is if I have occasion to access Asgard, usually to talk to Frigga or Odin, I cannot use Bifrost like most everyone else.  The last time I tried it, in 2007, Heimdall told me I stank of Jotun blood and He would not have me taint Bifrost with my stink.  (Yes, this is rude, but I'm not anti-Heimdall and I know it's not personal because He's said something similar to others in my acquaintance.)  I have found the other Aesir to be sympathetic, and I have yet to be thrown out of Asgard using the "key method" which, for Asgard, takes me directly to Fensalir.

As far as the journeying itself, I prefer to know where I'm going and who I'm seeing, in advance.  I will not just take information or energy or anything without making an offering to the Being in question, whether it's one of the named Gods, or Alfar/Duergar, or Someone else altogether.  It is a matter of respect to give an appropriate offering.  I have a list of offerings that specific Deities seem to enjoy, beyond that I've found the Ljossalfar enjoy shiny baubles (especially semi-precious stones and blown-glass ornaments), candies, and mead; the Svartalfar enjoy unusual and even grotesque artistic objects, sometimes practical joke items such as Silly Putty or whoopee cushions, as well as alcohol like cognac and vodka; the Duergar prefer coinage, since there's nothing you can make that will rival their handiwork, and will gladly take a meal made of root vegetables as a food offering.  The Vanir-in-general will take bread, or grain such as a combination of oats, pearl barley, and wheat flour, They will also take amber stones, good dark beer and ale, and flowers.  The Aesir-in-general will take mead, or some of your own blood mixed with mead if you are receiving highly privileged information.  The Jotnar-in-general will take your blood, and then seem to be region-specific with what they like: fire giants in Muspellheim value water as a precious commodity, and are also fond of incense and citrus fruit; frost giants in Niflheim like ice-cold vodka, bread, and venison.

The process of journeying involves my warder (usually my other half) drumming me into an altered state of consciousness, when I get to the halfway or "Dagaz" point, I will begin to shake the keys as a rattle.  A technique I have been spirit-taught for my own journeying is to follow my thread of Wyrd down to the World Tree.  I have noticed consistently that my thread, which is gold, is tied around a branch of the tree that had cute little round-ish green leaves, some red and purple berries, red fruit that looked like apples, and small pale pink blossoms. I noticed that every branch of Yggdrasil looked different: some were barren, or with withered leaves, other branches had evergreen needles, other branches had nuts.

It should be mentioned here that Yggdrasil is a sentient Being in and of Itself.  It is said in the Lore that Asvid, Dain, Dvalin, and Duneyr are the Deer of the Four Winds who wander Asgard, munching on its leaves, and shitting to "fertilize" the Tree.  I have talked with Them, who seem to speak in a collective voice of Yggdrasil's will.  The closest analogy I have to explain this to you, in a way that makes sense, is the relationship between Pilot and the sentient starship Moya in the science fiction television series Farscape.  Though Pilot and Moya are not the same Being, their relationship is symbiotic, and Pilot communicates to Moya and for Moya.  The Deer of the Four Winds have spoken for Yggdrasil that when a person passes from this plane, their branch drops down into Ginnungagap and then is recycled out again.

I use my thread to grapple up the branch, and then stand on top of the branch.  There is a hole in the trunk of the tree and I step in, falling down, going down a long chute into the center.  The center of Yggdrasil has a weird throbbing, humming light, glowing with soft rainbow colors: sometimes predominantly blue and violet, sometimes predominantly green and gold, sometimes predominantly red.  I have yet to understand what the color predominance means. There are several flights of stairs in four directions, and when my keys pulsate, it's a sign that I've found a door.

Once in the World, it is not a given that I will automatically come to the place where I need to be.  The exceptions to this seem to be arriving in Fensalir in Asgard, and Frey's home in Vanaheim, by default when I am in those Worlds.  Anywhere else usually involves a bit of "walking", and not every denizen of the other six non-Midgard Worlds is going to automatically greet me and do a little song and dance of happy tourism joy.  I have had to learn how to ward myself accordingly for each world.  An invisibility glamor does not work in Ljossalfheim since they are most adept at seeing through glamour.  I don't want to have shields too high around Jotnar, as They can all smell fear, and that seems to either insult Them or invite Them to "play with me".  Recently I learned a spirit-song to sing upon "opening the door" of a World, which announces that I am here of good intent, here to find (Specific Being X), and have not had nasty run-ins with xenophobic wights since then.



On Dealing with Otherworld Wights

The Jotnar may be the most obviously aggressive race of Beings, and this is certainly true if you piss them off, which is not hard to do.  The Jotnar of Jotunheim have had a rash of "wannabe sorcerors" who have come to Jotunheim trying to "bag a Jotun for Thor".  Coming into their territory, which would be 4 of the 9 Worlds, and acting like you own the place and they are obligated to teach you their shamanic Jotun wisdom, is a very bad idea.  It's also not polite to ask questions about the Ragnarok, or to make insulting assumptions such as taking them for "stupid barbarians"... and again, it comes back to the fear factor.  If the Jotnar think you are too afraid of them, they will either get pissed off feeling insulted, or they will decide to take advantage of that and chase you around, pretending to desire to eat you.  Some of them may in fact attempt that, but in most cases it's earned by some n00b who has no concept of Otherworld etiquette.  The best way to get along in Jotunheim: 1. remember whose world you're in, 2. do not show aggression first, 3. do not be overly afraid, 4. have a few coins on your person to give to random Jotnar you may encounter, 5. do not talk too much.  The Jotnar, as a rule, do not appreciate big talkers, they would prefer you be silent if not spoken to, unless explicitly stated otherwise.  The fire-etins of Muspellheim love a good song, and may encourage you to sing or perform music for them if you have talent, but they are also more gregarious than the other etin varieties.

The Duergar are not terribly aggressive if angry, although they may be provoked into chasing you out of their home with spears and grunting and barring you from ever entering that part of Svartalfheim again, and in some very rare instances of extreme insult, show you to the Dokkalfar, who seem to delight in torturing humans both physically and psychologically in dark dungeons.  The main form of Duergar anger is to get insulting, and is usually only shown if insulted themselves.  It is good to respect the Duergar as craftsmen, and give sincere compliments.  For example, if you find a Duerg beard interesting or attractive, say so, but only if you mean it.  Don't say, "That's a very pretty beard you've got there" just to be nice; they can see through false compliments.  Respect their handiwork, and this is perhaps one of the few places you can safely drink and eat without worrying about it being charmed to negatively influence you or poison you outright: the Duergar are not in the habit of parting with their food and drink for people they don't like.  The best way to get along with the Duergar: 1. marvel at their handiwork (which you won't see anything coming close to in the other Eight Worlds, anyway), 2. do not remark on their short stature as "OH HOW CUTE!", 3. accept food and drink graciously, 4. give an initial offering of coinage to the household, and then individual coins or stones to individual helpful Duergar as payment.

The Svartalfar do not have the same complex societal structure as their lighter cousins, and in fact seem to pride themselves on being more egalitarian.  That being said, it is a good idea to treat everyone like they are nobility, while not kneeling to anyone (to Ljossalfar and Svartalfar alike, kneeling is a demonstration of thralldom, and most -- no matter how pleasant they seem -- will take advantage of that and take you for a slave if you kneel).  They will keep in good spirits if they find you amusing, especially if you are talented in song or poetry. 

If you have chance to run into the Dokkalfar -- which will be most likely you finding them, rather than them deciding to have business with you -- this is the one time when using glamour and wards would be advised in an Alfar presence, as even more than some of the less-than-friendly-Jotnar, they thrive on energy drain while still having similarity to the Ljossalf in delight at causing insanity and humiliation.

The Ljossalfar are the most dangerous, even when contrasted with the Dokkalfar and Jotnar.  The Ljossalfar have an intricate social structure of mind-boggling caste system, and as such, complex ideas of what is proper and improper gesturing, facial expressions, speech modalities, and so on.  Some of the Ljossalfar have been very genuinely kind to me because they know I am Frey's wife, and can tell I am partially related to them.  In general, noblesse oblige seems to be the rule among the highest ruling classes of the Ljossalfar, and the lower and lowest classes have been kind to me because they seem to not care much for the caste system and authority.  The Ljossalfar to watch out for are the lower rungs of the ruling class, as they are typically the most magically advanced and have issues about their class status, being too noble to be "average" but not noble enough to be "important".  They are most likely to take most offense at social snafus or outright misconduct, and will not think twice about "elf-shot", which is a way of causing illness/injury and/or insanity both to the physical and astral bodies.  It is hard to imagine the Ljossalfar as being malicious because they are always beautiful, even when angry, and come off as being very noble and "proper", and it is hard to think of any Being that beautiful and noble being so sadistic: nonetheless, it happens, and may probably happen to you if you're not smart about your Journeys there.  (Please note this is not a judgment on the Ljossalfar, I am not saying they are "wrong" or "bad".  Considering some of Ljossalfheim's history, their xenophobia is not really unjustified, and it is because of their cultural structure that their world is what it is.  We as denizens of Midgard can have frithful and even amicable relations with the Ljossalfar, but it takes time and patience, not a small amount of diplomacy, and a respect for the Ljossalfar being Ljossalfar.  They are not obligated to not be what they are just for our benefit, especially after some of the rudeness traveling humans have shown them.)

To get along in Ljossalfheim: 1. don't use glamour on yourself, 2. don't remark on being able to see through others' glamour, 3. never say something or someone is "ugly", 4. refrain from using vulgarity and even slang in their presence (in fact, using "thee" and "thou" and more flowery language seems to impress them), 5. do not accept food or drink from the Ljossalfar; you should bring food and drink yourself, put in containers that have been properly warded, and share; 6. do not kneel to anyone unless you want to become their slave, 7. do not lie (they have a habit of asking your name, in which case you should give a nickname you regularly use in Midgard but is neither your legal name nor your Craft name), 8. do not touch anyone or anything without long-term familiarity AND permission, whether it is a bush of exotic flowers that you want to touch, or someone's shoulder, even if you are of elven descent and think you can do it without it hurting anything, 9. do not ask to be taught magick, as they will be the one to present that as an option if it is an option at all, 10. do not allow them access to your hair, bodily fluids, or things you wear regularly, esp. jewelry.


While this is by no means a comprehensive list of How to Journey to the Otherworlds and How to Behave Once There, this is someplace to start.  For further reading on the subject I strongly recommend Raven Kaldera's Pathwalkers Guide to the Nine Worlds, an invaluable resource.

Happy trails... and yes, I really do mean that, not just for you, but the Beings you encounter.  This is a time when Yggdrasil needs healing, and frith-weaving, not more conflict.

(C) 2008 Sigrun Freyskona.